Raid De Himalaya

MSIL Raid de Himalaya 2016 Rally Report – Day 1

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Words and Images : Prabhakar Rao AVR

The 2016 Raid de Himalaya was called off owing to an unfortunate accident that led to the untimely demise of Subhamoy Paul who was a very seasoned rider. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the friends and family of of the deceased motorcyclist.

The two and a half days for which the rally went on, however, did witness some action. This year’s Raid had Mobil 1 premium lubricant from ExxonMobil Corporation as one of the primary sponsors in addition to Maruti Suzuki. Mobil 1 has a long history of collaboration with motorsport events, going way back to 1978. Mobil’s alliance with some of the toughest races in the most extreme conditions shows its confidence in its products and its commitment to motorsport worldwide.

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The Raid De Himalaya is considered one of the most dangerous rallies in the world of motor sports, as it requires riders to tackle tricky routes in the mighty Himalayas. Year after year the Raid has seen participation from both professionals and less experienced first-timers who want a taste of driving in the Himalayas. The rally witnesses participation from all over the country along with some from other countries too. The man and machine vs nature is what Raid de Himalaya’s is all about. Year on year the name Raid de Himalaya has made a special place in the mind for rallying and adventure enthusiasts.

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Raid de Himalaya’s Extreme version is for the veterans & professionals. The competition in the series is extremely difficult as the name suggests.  The first leg runs between Manali to Kaza, while Manali to Gramphoo is the Transport stage. The Competitive Stage 1 Starts from Gramphoo & ends in Losar. This stage is one of the most difficult stages of the rally. It tests the competitors’ ability to control the vehicle while also testing them for their mental strength. Mind plays a vital role here. A determined participant needs to start with a mind set to conquer the serpentine roads, the hard terrain and at the same time overcoming the Acute Mountain Sickness which more often than not has the first timers reeling. Margin of error on these roads for a racer is expected to be zero. The slightest of deviation would result in a disaster.

Raid de Himalaya 2016, had a total participation of 153 contenders. 29 cars in the Xtreme 4W category and 78 motorcycles in the Xtreme bike category participated. The remaining 46 were under  a more leisurely Adventure Trail category which follows a Times Speed Distance (TSD format).

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The participants drive on the narrow roads with barren landscapes and hilly terrain on Day -1 as the rally moves ahead to pass through some of  the most difficult terrains, hairpin bends with deep valleys  on one side. The 76 km of terrain from Gramphoo to Losar which can push the man and machine to the limit is only one part of the challenge. The winding roads pass through Kunzum La – a 15,000 feet high pass with unpredictable weather & extreme cold. The day saw extreme weather towards the end of the stage at this high altitude pass. A snow storm on the Kunzum Top tested the tail runners and their machines.

The Participants started from Manali very early to reach Gramphoo where the first competitive stage starts. The day started with the bikes being flagged off on the picturesque valley roads. TVS riders on TVS RTR 450 – Natraj (Competitor number – 201) & Tanveer (Competitor number – 202) started 2 minutes apart followed by other riders on different bikes. Each rider starts  2 minutes after the previous one. This year the bikes in competition included a wide range of models. Models competing included Yamaha WR450F, KTM Duke 390 & 200, KTM EXC 250, KTM EXE 500, Triumph Tiger 800 XR, Royal Enfield Himalayan, Royal Enfield Continental GT, Royal Enfield Classic 500, Royal Enfield Desert Storm 500, Mahindra Mojo, Hero Impulse, Bajaj Pulsar, Bajaj Caliber, TVS Apache, TVS Wego, Yezdi, etc. Many of them failed to complete this stage. Tire failures were one of the prominent reasons for non completion this year. The Lack of roads & varying temperatures ensured that the tires shattered the dreams of many.

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The 4W category started with last year’s overall winner Lhakpa Tsering (Competitor number – 01) in his Polaris RZR 1000, Followed by 9 time Raid Winner Suresh Rana (Competitor number – 02) in his Grand Vitara. Apart from the Polaris Vehicles there were other cars like a large number of Maruti Suzuki Gypsy, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Maruti Suzuki Swift, Mitsubishi Pajero, etc. Majority of the 4W category vehicles completed the first stage.

From Losar to Kaza the day 1 ends with the transport stage. Day 1 saw many retirements due to the inhospitable nature of the terrain. Out of the 98 starts only 65 were classified to have finished the leg successfully.  The day ended with last year overall winner of 4W extreme – Tsering Lakhpa in his Polaris RZR 1000 leading by a slender margin of 56 seconds over 9 times Winner Suresh Rana in the Grand Vitara . In the 2W category TVS factory Bikes led from start to finish with Abdul Tanveer leading fellow Biker Nataraj R. They were differentiated by only 4 Seconds riding identical TVS RTR 450s. Overall a very close Result on Day 1.

The Final Classification at the end of Day 1

4W Extreme

  1. Tsering Lhakpa – 1:26:58
  2. Suresh Rana – 1:27:54
  3. Sandeep Sharma- 1:34:41

Bikes Extreme

  1. Abdul Tanveer – 1:18:29
  2. Natraj R- 1:18:33
  3. Vishwas SD – 1:31:50

Following is an image gallery of the Raid de Himalaya 2016  – Day 1. Click (desktop) or tap (mobile device) on the thumbnails to expand

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