After a successful event in Pune, Indian car major Maruti Suzuki flagged off an all women car rally in New Delhi on Sunday. With the of encouraging women participation in motorsports, the company is spearheading multiple intra city rallies. The one-day event in the Capital saw an overwhelming response with 80 Maruti Suzuki cars all steered by women drivers.
The 103-kilometer route was flagged off from the Maruti Suzuki Head Office in Vasant Kunj. The rally crossed several city and upcountry roads including Mehrauli, Gurgaon, Damdama Lake, Sohna and concluded at the start venue- Maruti Suzuki Vasant Kunj office.
Speaking about the event, Manohar Bhat, Vice President, Marketing, Maruti Suzuki said, “Maruti Suzuki’s association with motorsports spans across the last 2 decades. With each passing year, women interest in rallies has seen a significant upsurge. The TSD rally is a test of driving as well as planning skills which serves as a stepping stone for women enthusiasts eager to carve their niche in adventure sports. Moreover, it increasingly offers them opportunities to gauge their preparedness for bigger rallies like Maruti Suzuki Raid-de-Himalaya, Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm and Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare. This is coupled with the objective of imbibing road discipline and promoting road safety amongst drivers.”
The participants were provided a road book with instructions regarding directions, distance and time. The navigator had to keep calculating the Time based on Speed and Distance figures given in the road book, accordingly guiding the driver on the speed at which the car is to be driven. (Formula used is Time = Distance / Speed.) The task was to remain within average speed, follow traffic rules, and navigate the route correctly while strictly keeping to the prescribed time. Hidden check points added to the thrill and excitement as an attitude of sportsmanship and the determination to win were evident in the finale.
Expressing her joy on winning the title, Vaneeta Kumar, driving the Maruti Suzuki Alto (with co-driver Komal Soni), said, “The Maruti Suzuki women car rally 2014 was very well organized and a much appreciated event. It took us through remote areas of our home town giving us an entirely different flavor of the city, which was hitherto undiscovered by me. The route was tricky and unknown, though I enjoyed every moment of traversing through it. I look forward to more events like this as they encourage Indian women to be a part of motorsports.”
Here is the list of winners:
| Rank | Driver/Co-Driver | Penalty | Cars |
| 1st | VANEETA KUMAR /KOMAL SONI | 00:23:07 | Alto |
| 2nd | POONAM RANA /RIHEN BHARDWAJ | 0:23:50 | Gypsy |
| 3rd | MALIKA BAJAJ /DHRUV DHALL | 0:25:16 | Dzire |
Stay tuned to Motoroids for more updates from motoring world.
