Monsoon Challenge 2016 Rally Flagged Off in City
Mangaluru: What a perfect way to mark the beautiful monsoon season in this coastal City, with the flag off ceremony of “Mahindra Adventure Monsoon Challenge 2016” that took place at Forum Fiza Mall on Friday, 24 June 2016 at 6pm- the flag off was done by MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, along with the officials of Mahendra and Mahendra Ltd, CEAT, Mahendra Adventure, Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) 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 2016 is held under the Mahindra Adventure umbrella brand as part of the Challenge series. This Motorsport TSD event will fetch the winners the highest prize money of Rs. 4 lakh on offer. The rally comprising of exclusive Mahindra vehicles will traverse the challenging route starting from Mangaluru to Shimoga before ending in Canacona, in South Goa. More than 650 km will be navigated in two days, and the participants are set to challenge the monsoon with unlimited fun throughout the rally.
25 vehicles have taken part in this Challenge, with drivers/participants hailing from Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Chikkamagaluru, Tamilnadu, Kerala, Mumbai, Mangaluru and other places. Ashwath Rasquinha and Maria Fernandes (Couple Category), Dr N Raaj Mohan and Chitra Venkatessalu (Couple) and Dr Sunil S Byadgi and Dr Shivakumar KP (Challenge Class Category)- all are from Mangaluru. This is the sixth edition of the CEAT presents “Mahendra Challenge 2016”, with the most rewarding prize money on offer, where these 25 vehicles will manoeuvre the challenging route of over 650 km in 2 days.
Held under the Mahindra Adventure umbrella, it is a part of the Challenges series of motor sport events that were launched five 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. Flagged off from Mangaluru today, the rallyists will then make their way to Shivamogga and culminate in Canacona-South Goa on Sunday, 26th June. The Mahindra Adventure Monsoon Challenge 2016 route is chalked out by the Mahindra Adventure team in association with IMSC (Indian Motor Sport Club of India), while the ‘With You Hamesha’ service team will ensure that participants will enjoy the rally unhindered.
The route will have highways, B roads and rough road stretches with the magnificent Western Ghats as the omnipresent backdrop. Under this challenge, participants are competing under one of these categories – Challenge Category (professional), Amateur Category, Corporate Category, Ladies Category, Couple Category &Media Category. With a total prize money of Rs 4 lakh on offer, the Monsoon Challenge sports the tag of being one of India’s richest TSD motor sport events. The event has also been duly approved by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) and is held especially for Mahindra vehicle owners. The rally will provide a perfect opportunity for Mahindra owners to compete while enjoying the monsoon vistas. The journey also aims to celebrate Incredible India as it passes through some of south India’s most exotic locales.
Speaking About the Mahindra Adventure Initiative during a interaction with media persons a day prior to the event, Venkatesh KS, a representative of the organization said, ” This is a unique concept to showcase the tough and rugged DNA of Mahindra vehicles, Mahindra Adventure functions as an umbrella brand with a series of adventure and motor sports events organized under its banner. The Mahindra Adventure calendar comprises a series of experiential marketing events throughout the year such as the popular off-roading event, the Great Escape, several Challenges (sporting events in keeping with the company’s promise of providing adrenaline pumping challenges), Multi-Day Special Escapes, such as the Monastery Escape (12 days) & Royal Escape (6 days), Authentic Bhutan (6 days),Spiti Escape(7 days) and Authentic North East Escape(Meghalaya, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh- 10 days) and enters official teams for India’s most popular rallies and motorsport events.
He also said, “To spread the DNA of off-roading, the Mahindra Adventure team has also recently launched the Mahindra Adventure Off- Road Training Academy in Igatpuri to encourage off-roading amongst the adventure seekers. Mahindra Adventure Off-road Training Academy is 28-acre facility, India’s first dedicated facility providing a one stop solution to learning everything about a Mahindra 4WD vehicle and how to use it to its full potential. Through this, we hope to leverage the brand’s off-road heritage, showcase the vehicles abilities and give the participants the confidence to explore the limits of the vehicles. Custom-made Mahindra Thars equipped with radio sets are exclusively used as training vehicles at the facility. The Mahindra Group focuses on enabling people to rise through solutions that power mobility, drive rural prosperity, enhance urban lifestyles and increase business efficiency.”
The main local man and the Clerk of Course of this mega Challenge Rally, Ashwin Rai welcomed the gathering and briefed about the Challenge 2016. Sunil DG from CEAT and Moosa Sharief of Indian Motor Sports Club were also present.