February 22, 2011
9th edition of Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm 2011 gets tougher
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Maruti Suzuki sales in January 2011
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Maruti Suzuki unveils the much awaited SX4 Diesel
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Over 280 contestants vie for the coveted trophy
Highest prize money in Indian motorsports
India's premier car maker, promotes controlled and safe driving through the motorsport event
Maruti Suzuki's biggest and most exciting motorsports event in north-west India starts today. Shri Jaynarayan N Vyas, Hon'ble Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Government of Gujarat flagged off the 9th edition of Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm from Ahmedabad. The Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm this year is all set to raise the bar. The rally will cross the Great Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, the deserts of Thar in Rajasthan and finally the Aravali ranges - a unique multi terrain driving adventure.

For the first time this flagship motorsport event of Maruti Suzuki India Limited is starting from Ahmedabad to culminate in Delhi. After the flag off from Ahmedabad today, the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm traverses a gruelling 3500 km through the Rann of Kutch, Bhuj, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Pokhran, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Jaipur, before reaching Delhi on February 27th, 2011.
9th Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm: Highlights
3500 kms journey
6 days
9 high speed competitive sections
Largest-ever participation
280 participants
No. of 4-wheelers : 130
No. of 2-wheelers & Quad-bikes: 18
No of women participants : 7
At the ceremony Mr. S N Burman, Commercial Business Head (Western India), Maruti Suzuki said, "Maruti Suzuki is committed to promote and bring motorsport closer to the common man in India. This continued effort by the company for over a decade now has seen many challenging motorsport events emerge in the country. Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm is one such example which has been recording ever increasing strength of motorsport enthusiasts participating in the rally. Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm being run this year with the largest ever participation and motoring duration is all set to unfold thrilling moments for motorsport lovers".

The Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm 2011 sees an interesting mix of gender and demographic profile of motoring enthusiasts. This year 7 women have entered the event, setting new records in motorsport participation. The rally also has participation by teams from several wings of the Indian armed forces.

Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm is the only rally in the country to run a comprehensive interactive virtual rally car tracking facility. It will provide real-time tracking of competitors online, and a comparison page for all enthusiasts wanting to keep abreast of the rally on the web. There is also a custom made virtual game to involve all enthusiasts who follow the sport. Daily updates will be provided on the website and through social networks like Facebook and Twitter for the duration of the rally.

Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm is being organized in partnership with Northern Motorsport for the 9th year in the running. Northern Motorsport is one of the leading motorsport organisations of India. It organises a range of challenging motorsport events including the Maruti Suzuki Autocross, the Rally of the North, etc.

Maruti Suzuki also hosts Maruti Suzuki Raid-de-Himalaya that covers the most inhospitable and most challenging motoring terrains, and the Dakshin Dare, the latest initiative to reach out to motorsports lovers in south India. In addition, Maruti Suzuki also sponsors many winning teams and drivers across the country. Maruti Suzuki promotes controlled and safe driving in India through these rallies, among all participants.

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