The much awaited 17th edition of Maruti
Suzuki Raid-de-Himalaya ended in Srinagar with Raj Singh Rathore and his co-driver
Amber Udasi taking top position followed by Tsering Lakhpa and his co-driver Venu
Ramesh Kumar at the second position and 9 times Raid De Himalaya winner, also famously
known as manali man, Suresh Rana and his co-driver Parminder Thakur stood third.
This year the rally saw around 250 driving enthusiasts in about 167 teams covering
2000 kms in six days. The last phase of the rally ended finally in Srinagar while
traversing through Rangdum with a distance of approximately 300 km in the last leg.
In the Adventure Trial category, the top slot was bagged by Jagmeet Gill along with
his co-driver Chandan Sen who completed the race with a total penalty scores of
16 minutes and 58 seconds followed by the Ajgar Ali who emerged as first runner
up and Karthick Murthi and S Sankar Anand at the third spot. There were in total
55 teams in the adventure category.
Arvind K.P was crowned the champion in the extreme two wheeler category followed
by Natraj R and Ashish Saurabh Moudghil at the second and third position respectively.
The17th edition of the motorsport event stands out in the number of highest women
participants with Bani Yadav returning to give a tough competition while Anu Rana
and her navigator Poonam Rana won the title of Coup – De – Dames.
Amidst adverse weather conditions and challenges of the rough terrain, the enthusiasm
of the rallyists never faded.
Speaking on the prize distribution ceremony, Mr R S Kalsi, Executive Director, Marketing
& Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited said, “We are overwhelmed to see the response
received by our flagship motorsport event Maruti Suzuki Raid-de-Himalaya. This year
has been exciting to follow, to see the passion of the rallyists even against the
toughest conditions. This participation and excitement raises the bar making the
rally more eventful with every season”
On winning the champions trophy, Raj Singh Rathore said, “This is an extremely overwhelming
moment for me. I have been dreaming the entire year to lift this trophy and I am
extremely happy that my dream has come true. Hope to keep the adrenaline rush going
in the next year’s Maruti Suzuki Raid De Himalaya. It only gets more challenging
every year and I am looking forward to maintaining my title”
After a display of sheer grit and passion for driving, the final winners were announced
during the closing ceremony held in Centaur Lakeside SKICC, Srinagar, on Saturday
17th October 2015.
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