Srinigar: Amittrajit Ghosh of Kolkata with navigator Ashwin Naik are the provisional winners of Rally Xtreme, while Subir Roy and navigator Nirav Mehta are provisional winners of Rally Enduro (Car category) in The 4th J&K Bank Mughal Rally, which concluded at Srinagar today.
In the Rally Xtreme (Motorcycles) category, the provisional winner is Mohit Verma of Chandigarh. Satish Gopalkrishnan and navigator Savera D'Souza of Bangalore led Rally Enduro (SUV category) at Jammu. The final results of the Rally were being computed at the time of going to press, and were expected late at night.
About 120 rallyists from various parts of the country participated in The Mughal Rally, now seen as one of the most exciting events on the Indian motorsport calendar. Incidentally, Amittrajit Ghosh was also the winner of Rally Xtreme in The Mughal Rally 2012, and Mohit Verma had taken the Rally Crown in the Rally Xtreme (Motorcycles) category. Rallyists from Kolkata seem to be riding high at The 4th Mughal Rally, since Subir Roy also hails from the Kolkata.
Competitors in the Rally Enduro category today battled heavy downpour accompanied by a terrible storm for almost four hours on the competitive stage from Reasi to Gool Gulabgarh. Rally Marshals were facing a major threat of landslide on this route during the downpour and heavy lightening. Fortunately, there was no landslide or rockfall, and Rally Enduro was able to pass through the stretch safely. Rally Enduro follows the Time-Speed-Distance (TSD) format,
Competitors in The Rally Xtreme category, which is all about high speed, had to take on the hill climb challenge from Daksum to Sinthan Pass today. Atul Handa, General Secretary of Himalayan Motorsport, was manning Rally Xtreme. He said there was heavy rain when Day Two of Rally Xtreme was flagged off from Srinagar in the early hours today. "When the rallyists reached Daksum for the competitive stage, there was heavy fog and mist in the area. Rally Marshals who were stationed on the route much earlier reported that at places, visibility was as low as 10 meters. In order to ensure the safety of the rallyists, the rally had to be halted at Daksum for about three hours," said Handa.
Rallyists were allowed to take on the competitive hill climb up to Sinthan Pass after the fog and mist cleared. On account of the delay, the final competitive stage of the rally had to be cancelled by the organizers.
J&K Tourism Minister Ghulam Ahmad Mir said he was very happy on the successful conclusion of The 4th J&K Bank Mughal Rally. "The Mughal Rally spreads the message of peace in Kashmir both nationally and internationally. Our effort is to showcase the great potential for adventure tourism in J&K. We also want to encourage the youth of the state to take part in adventure tourism," he said.
The Mughal Rally had been flagged off in the early hours of June 28 by J&K Minister of State for Tourism, Home, Industries and Commerce Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo from the Royal Springs Golf Course, Srinagar. A total of 24 teams took the start in Rally Xtreme (4X4), and 30 teams took the start in Rally Enduro. In the Rally Xtreme Xtreme (Motorcycles) category, nine bikers took the start. The prize money for each category is Rs 2 lakh for the winner, Rs 1.25 lakh for the first runner-up and Rs 1 lakh for the second runner-up.
The Mughal Rally is a fast, technical event on a track that was once an elephant trail – at the time of the Mughals. This is the historic track used by Emperors Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan to traverse Kashmir to go to Lahore.
The Mughal Rally started in 2010, when the Mughal Road was a quagmire of deep mud and rocks. At that time, the average top speed of the competitors was 55 kilometers per hour. The Mughal Road is now a smooth, double laned highway which was formally opened by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on June 25. The top speed of the rallyists on this track now goes up to 170 kilometers per hour.
Tourism Minister Ghulam Ahmad Mir said that The 4th Mughal Rally, the first hill climb motorsport battle of India, is patterned on the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the 100-year-old iconic automobile and motorcycle hill climb of the USA. The two hill climbs in The Mughal Rally this year were the competitive stretches up to Pir Ki Gali and Sinthan Pass. Pir Ki Gali is the highest point on The Mughal Road, at an altitude of 11,500 feet (4,100 meters) approximately. Sinthan Pass, at an altitude of 12,450 feet (3,748 meters) approximately, is on national highway 1B, connecting Kishtwar and Anantnag. Even during the height of summer, the hill climb to Sinthan Pass is lined with walls of snow. It is open from April to September.
The Mughal Rally is organized by Himalayan Motorsport, the premier Shimla-based motorsport club. “We see this rally becoming one of the fastest hill climb challenges in the world,” said Vijay Parmar, President of Himalayan Motorsport.
The prize distribution for the rally will be held at Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Center, Srinagar, on June 30. Earlier, amidst heavy rain in the valley on June 27, scrutiny of the vehicles of all competitors was held at the Royal Springs Golf Course in Srinagar. The scrutiny was held as per stringent rallying and safety regulations of Federation Internationale De Automobile (FIA) and the Federation of Motorsport Clubs of India (FMSCI).