The top position in the 17th
edition of Maruti Suzuki Raid-de-Himalaya that ended ended in Srinagar was
grabbed by Raj Singh Rathore and his co-driver Amber Udasi in their Polaris RZR 1000 turbo. They were followed by followed by Tsering Lakhpa and his
co-driver Venu Ramesh Kumar at the second position in the RZR XP4 1000. Nine times Raid De Himalaya
winner, also famously known as Manali man, Suresh Rana and his co-driver
Parminder Thakur in their Suzuki Vitara vehicle 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 waned.
Speaking on the prize
distribution ceremony, R S Kalsi, Executive Director, Marketing & Sales,
Maruti Suzuki India Limited noted, “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.Final results:
Extreme category (4x4)
1. Raj Singh Rathore and Amber
Udasi
2. Tsering Lhakpa and Venu
Ramesh Kumar
3. Suresh Rana and Parminder
Thakur
Extreme Category (motorcycles)
1. Arvind K. P
2. Natraj R
3. Ashish Saurabh Moudghil
Adventure trial category
1. Jagmeet Gill &
Chandana Sen
2. Ajgar Ali and Mohd. Mustafa
3. Karthick Murthi and S.
Sankar Anand
Source: Maruti
Suzuki