Local couple claim top spot in Monsoon Ride

Second in the cars category was Deepika Nikhanj,also a Chandigarh resident. Her navigator for the event was Baljeet Multani,who hails from Jalandhar. Both women are in their late 20s,and work at The American Express in Gurgaon. Deepika says she has a keen interest in motorsport,and always wanted to take part in such events.

“I wanted to participate in the Autocross last year,but met with an accident during that time. When I learnt about the Monsoon Ride,I saw this as a good opportunity and am happy to have won the second position,” she says. Deepika’s parents reside in Sector 32.

The Monsoon Ride started from Jaipur. Participants went up to the ruins of Bhangarh town and fort,and came back to Jaipur the same day. The route covered nearly 220 kilometers.

The event was based on the time-speed-distance format. In such events,speeding down the given route is not the formula for success. Participants have to clock their speed against the time-controls specified by the organisers. Hence,navigation plays an important role in these events.

Dhiraj’s navigator for the event was his wife Shivali. At the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm too,the couple were together. But since the Desert Storm was their first event,it took time for Shivali to learn the tricks of the trade. “For the first two days,I felt completely lost in handling the GPS (Global Positioning System) and other aids. But soon I picked up,and in the latter half of the rally I was quite comfortable,” says Shivali.

There were about 50 participants in the event. Dhiraj participated in his Maruti Swift. There was a separate category for those driving motorbikes,and another one for the participants on scooters. Anukraman Singh,the founder president of Western Motorsports,said their objective is to encourage participation in such events among people of diverse backgrounds. “This was the first event organised by us under the banner of Western Motorsports,and it proved to be a success. We plan to organise more such events to popularise this sport further,” Anukraman told The Sportline.

Raj Singh Rathore,the secretary of the club,informed that a number of participants had come from Delhi,and some from Bangalore. “More and more motorsport enthusiasts are now coming forward,and such events hone their driving and navigation skills,” Raj pointed out.