The northern state of
Uttarakhand, in a bid to promote tourism, has given motor car rallying a new
meaning, one that can be enjoyed by the entire family. The second Uttarakhand
Adventure Car Rally was flagged off from Dehradun on February 1, 2015. The
rally is aggressively promoting family participation in TSD
(Time-Speed-Distance) rallying, which is the sober form of motorsport. Uttarakhand
Adventure Car Rally is being supported by Maruti Suzuki and JK Tyres. The rally route will cover approximately 1000
kilometers in the state.
The Second Uttarakhand Adventure
Car Rally has been organised by Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) in
association with Himalayan Motorsport, the premier Shimla-based motorsport
club. Himalayan Motorsport organises the Raid De Himalaya, one of the top ten
toughest rallies in the world.
In a press release issued by the
state, Uttarakhand Secretary Tourism Uma Kant Panwar said that the state has chosen
to combine motorsport with its entire adventure tourism portfolio which
includes skiing, white-water rafting, trekking, mountaineering and wildlife
photography. “With Himalayan Motorsport as our partner, the rally is organised
professionally, adhering to the top standards internationally. At the same
time, we are making it a family activity to attract mid and high-end tourists,”
said Panwar.
The rally allowed all kinds of
automobiles to participate in it. A total of 35 teams have participated, said Vijay
Parmar, Rally Director for The Second Uttarakhand Adventure Car Rally, said
that in TSD rallying, competitors stick to specified speed limits at all times,
and go slow in thickly populated areas. The rally moves with the normal traffic
and does not cause any traffic disruptions. Parmar said that a maximum of four
persons are allowed in each vehicle. Since the rally is being promoted in the
family format, the competitor can be accompanied by the spouse and children
aged 16 or above.
Uttarakhand Tourism Minister Dinesh
Dhanai, who flagged off the rally, said tourism is the economic mainstay of the
state, and the focus of the rally is on getting tourists back to Uttarakhand
after the devastating floods in June 2013. Dhanai said that the rally route has
been designed in such a way that it touches some of the favourite tourist
destinations of the state like the world-class ski resort at Auli and Ramnagar,
which flanks the Jim Corbett National Park.
The rally route goes via Dev
Prayag, Karan Prayag, Rudra Prayag and Nand Prayag and also Shivpuri, which
draws huge domestic and foreign tourism for white water rafting. The rally will
end at Dehradun on Day Three.
“The rally offers Rs 5 lakh, Rs 3
lakh and Rs 2 lakh for the top three teams respectively, and a special prize of
Rs 1 lakh for the all-women’s team which performs the best. Since TSD rallying
involves great technical finesse and is not a speed rally, we are very keen to
promote it as an inclusive family activity,” said Panwar.