Task cut out for Takale at Mughal Rally

“It sure is a challenge. I am not worried about competition,I just want to go there and finish the race,” said Takale. “The road is narrow and at several points there are sharp corners and hairpins and negotiating them will be a challenge.”

The route,which takes the drivers through the Pir Panjal range of the Western Himalayas,is the same one used by Akbar and the other Mughal emperors to travel from Lahore to Srinagar. The Jammu and Kashmir government,who are providing financial and logistical support for the event,are using the rally to promote tourism in the valley.

“We will pass through high altitudes of Himalayas,but more importantly through sensitive areas such as Baramulla,Poonch and Rajouri districts,” said Takale. With his vehicle reaching the venue only a day before the rally,Takale will start with the disadvantage of not having done a recce of the route.

“Since the topography of the Kashmir valley is different from than of Leh and Ladakh (the usual destinations in Raid de Himalayas). We have to be extremely careful while driving since even the slight lapse in concentration could be dangerous,” he said.

Meanwhile,the organisers have scrapped the rally’s run on the Line of Control (LOC) in the Gurez Village of Kashmir due to inclement weather. The rally,however,will set a bar internationally as it will record the longest day ever in motoring history for a mountain rally — with a stretch of 640km for the Enduro category on Day 2.