Car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki flagged off an all women car rally in Pune on Sunday, July 6, 2014. With the objective of strengthening women participation in motorsports, the car maker has been organizing such intra city rallies. The company is confident that such initiatives would encourage more women participation in motorsports.
Expressing his views on the occasion, Manohar Bhat, Vice President, Marketing, Maruti Suzuki said, “Maruti Suzuki has been associated with motorsports for over 2 decades. Each year, we have seen increasing interest from women motorsports enthusiasts. The women car rally is a good opportunity for women motorsport enthusiasts to gauge their preparedness for some bigger rallies – like Maruti Suzuki Raid-de-Himalaya, Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm and Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare. Besides, rallying teaches road discipline and helps us promote road safety. The driving skills like enhanced braking, skid correction, tackling multiple terrains etc which participants pick up during motorsport events like this rally, have an immediate impact on improving the safety during real time driving.”
The Maruti Suzuki women car rally was held over a 120-kilometer route in and around the city of Pune. The event was flagged off from Hotel Four Points. More than 82 Maruti Suzuki cars, all driven by women, competed in this one day event. In this contest, participants got a chance to test and showcase their motoring skills and agility at navigating the driver to finish the rally precisely.
The participants were given a road book, which had the 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 and accordingly guide the driver about the speeds at which the car is to be driven. The task was to navigate the route correctly while strictly keeping to the prescribed time. Hidden checkpoints added to the thrill and excitement for the participants.
Winner of the rally, Archana Khinvasara (with navigator Mr Vivek Khinvasara), said, “I am very excited at this win! The track was beautifully planned out and I absolutely loved the whole experience. I was scared in a few instances but my navigator’s directions were excellent. I am overjoyed at this achievement and the next halt for me is the Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare with my Ritz!”
