SJOBA Sub-Himalayan Rally from March 22

It was here at this Rally that top rallyists from the region like Hari Singh,Bitto Mann,Sunny Sidhu,Manik Rekhy,Karan Jung,Suresh Rana and Capt Brar had honed their driving skills and went on to become champion rallyists.

Around 200 rallyists from various parts of the region and the country are expected to fight for top honours at this motorsport event. “The event is going to be even more exciting and challenging this year because of the new route and the challenging stages planned for it,” stated Sanjiv Kumar ,president,SJOBA.

The rally has a total of 11 competitive stages and it carries a total prize money of about Rs 2,50,000 and is open to jeeps/gypsies,cars and bikes.

The event has two major categories: ‘Challenge’ and ‘Endurance Trial’. Challenge is the extreme category of the event,which is all about high speed. The ‘Endurance Trial’ is based on the Time-Speed- Distance (TSD) format.

The competitors include about 60 teams in the SJOBA Challenge. There will be about 25 teams in SJOBA Endurance Trial while about 25 bikers will take part in the SJOBA Challenge Moto category.

Shivam Garg,secretary of SJOBA,further informed,”The Super Special Stage will be held on March 22 at the Sector 34 ground,Chandigarh. Here the general public will get to see and experience the driving skills of the country’s top rallyists. On March 23,the rallyists will be flagged off from St John’s School and they will pass through six competitive stages on their way to Shimla for the overnight halt. On March 24,they will return to Chandigarh passing through an entirely new route.”

Talking about the changes in the route,SPS Ghai,Clarke-of-Course,said,”On Day 3,the rallyists will experience some very exciting tracks. The route in the mountains this year will be Day 1: Chandigarh – Trilokpur – Morni – Badisher – Thapli – Mallah – Nehrikala – Bhojnagar – Ashinikhad – Jhaja – Chail (Lunch) – Chhalanda – Tehra – Koti Village – Koti Resorts. Day 2: Koti Resorts –Mashobra – Baiketi – Theog – Tiyali – Koti village – Chalada – Chail (Lunch) – Jhajha – Ashinikhad – Bhojnagar – Chakki Ka Mor – Chandigarh.”

Rallies are all about speed and therefore a lot of fatal accidents were witnessed over the last couple of years. Talking about safety standards at the Rally,Dr TP Singh,chief medical officer said,”Safety standards have always been a priority at SJOBA.For the last 3 months,teams of SJOBA volunteers have been criss-crossing the mountains,mapping every bend,every detail of the new route. It is only after complete verification of the safety aspects that the new route has been finalized. As in the past,there will be FIVs (First Intervention Vehicles) and ambulances at each competitive stage with SJOBA marshals and doctors available with full medical assistance. As the Rally enjoys the full support of the Police and Administrations of Punjab,Haryana,Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh,adequate arrangements will be made to ensure that there is no oncoming traffic in the competitive stages. SJOBA also boasts of a near perfect wireless communication network set-up with in-house ham radio operators who ensure that any kind of help is provided immediately to the participants,” he said.

The entry fees for the event as per category are: Challenge Rally: Car / Jeep: Rs. 13,000 for Driver and Co-Driver (both compulsory); Motorbikes: Rs. 6,000; Quads(atv’s) ; 6,000 Endurance Trial: Rs. 16,000 for Driver and Co-Driver (both compulsory); Rs. 9,000 per extra person up to a maximum of 4 people in the car including Driver and Co-Driver.