Dakshin Dare 2014 covered 2,000 km traversing exotic locations of southern India like Tumkur, Hiriyur, Chitradurga, Bellary, Hospet, Hampi, Koppal, Hubli and Karwar. Karan Bhardwaj trails the ultimate motorsport that only has high and high moments
AS WE BEGIN
I have never been a morning person. Early flights to morning assignments, I have hated everything that has distanced me from my kingdom of dreams. But today is one off case. I am not cursing, rather excited. At 3 am, we are driving swiftly on the Bengaluru roads to reach our destination, the mountainous region of Chitradurga in Karnataka, some 200 km away from the state’s capital. It’s the debut day of the Maruti Suzuki’s Dakshin Dare car rally that promises to be a roller coaster ride. Brimming with excitement, I peep out from the car window in the wee hours. Chances are that the god of light might not show up today due to dense cloud cover. But who cares when moonlight, our guiding light, accompanies us in this quiet ride, lending a touch of romanticism in air. As they say, moments post romance is no less patchy, our bumpy ride has just begun to unfurl!
Almost after two hours, we expose ourselves to the unadulterated hills of Chitradurga. We are much ahead of time, with an intention to grab the best possible spot on the treacherous track so that the vehicles can be captured in their wildest moments.
The stage (stretch of the race) is speckled with numerous windmill farms, tense cloud covers, bold rock hills, strong winds, and uneven roads. The hairpin bends and gravel in the route making it tricky to traverse and maneuver through.
The breeze wafts in full force, swinging the three blades of the giant fans, offering us a heavenly experience that is unimaginable in the hustle and bustle of Delhi. A small group of scribes and cameramen sets its position. Smartphones, tabs, cameras and tripods, the kits of equipment unfold the high-end gadgets to capture the priceless moments. As we climb atop one of the biggest rocks, holding breath and indulging in unadulterated nature, the sounds of engine ask for attention from behind the hills. The moment has arrived!
In no time, a white gypsy looking like a small matchbox is seen maneuvering its way through the gravel and steep curves. Amanpreet Ahluwalia, the winner of last year’s Dakshin Dare, has set the wheels rolling. Giving him stiff competition from behind were a pool of customised some 40 vehicles from Gypsy, Honda City to Volkswagen Polo. The two-wheelers stride in the Extreme Bike category was hailed by Natraj, who also sealed the lead by the end of the day. Apart from the nature’s thunderous roar in the winds and clouds, and constant music of windmills, the defeaning noise of vehicles filled the air. The day witnessed two stages around the windmill farms only and also offered one-of-its-own kind of digital detox (read smartphone). We didn’t mind cutting away from the world, before getting back to hotel and cityscape.
Day 2_______
“Good morning and all the best!” we greeted the champion, Amanpreet Ahluwalia, at 4 am before heading to the next track, precisely the dirt track which is again carved amid the hills of Chitradurga but full of merciless stones and pebbles. The red soil emanating from within the hills and uneven terrains truly extract the beauty of rocks. Starting from Davangere amidst light shimmers of rain, the dirt and slush have emerged in the wackiest avatar on our way, only peddling up the level for these extremists. It is breathtakingly pleasant and thankfully, less cooler, maybe due to lesser fans around!
But hey! Not everything is pleasant with the man we met in the morning! Amanpreet has been awarded with a stop-and-go penalty, slipping down straight to the 8th position. Our investigation reveals there was a minor miscommunication between him and the navigator which cost them a huge leap! Team Maruti’s Sandeep Sharma and Varun Davessar, in their Gypsy, clocked 1:02:27 to snatch the lead at the end of second leg of the rally. In the bikes category, defending champion of Dakshin Dare 2013 and yesterday’s leader, Natraj maintained his lead on day 2 with a time of 45:36. Bravo!
Day 3_______
It’s shining today! Ting! Finally we have a bright and sunny day after experiencing drizzles in the first half of the rally period. The mercury levels have risen on the track as well as during the day, with the competition heating up amongst the teams. Starting from the Vidyanagar township, the rally has moved ahead to the Canal stage. Situated right next to the brimming Tungabhadra canal, the flat track features many ditches and patches of slush, which eventually created several super charged moments with high speed jumps and skids. Unlike the last two days, when wind did all the talking, the rhythm in the canal water is so soothing. An attentive chameleon on the façade of a small bridge, wearing red and green hues, is truly reflecting the extreme adrenaline as the competition just gets tougher. We hear one gypsy has hit a stone and crashed out of the game. In a shocking incident, a racer was slapped by the locals as he went off track and slugged the mud on faces of onlookers, informs another participant.
As we meander around, the walk reminds us of Banaras ghats. The canal is utilised for various purposes like bathing and cleaning laundry. Sandeep Sharma and Varun Davessar continues to reign supreme, clocking a total time of 1:57:19. But what gladdened us really was the power-packed performance by Amanpreet Ahluwalia, who fast-tracked to 5th position.
Day 4_______
Starting the day as usual before sunrise, the contestants make their way to the outskirts of Hospet to meet their next challenge. Today’s contest spans over three stages across two different locations. The first stage, the Countryside leg has drivers roaring through the 27 km stretch at express pace. Situated in the midst of the wilderness the superfast track presents an uneven terrain with some tricky turns meandering through villages. Also featuring several long flat stretches, this route records the highest speeds of the rally so far. In the Windmill leg which hosts the second and third stage of the day, the drivers have to travel a total distance of 175 km burning rubber while manoeuvring their vehicles up and down hill tops, powering through the dirt. Sandeep and Varun maintained their prime rank, clocking a total time of 2:37:46.
DAY 5_______
Dakshin Dare has crafted a fresh route in picturesque northern Karnataka for the first time ever, traversing spectacular places like Tumkur, Hiriyur, Chitradurga, Bellary, Hospet, Hampi, Koppal, Hubli and Karwar. It’s the longest day of the competition with four stages set in the hills of Koppal district form a scenic route, with dense clouds cover while the cars bring in the thunder. A dirt track running up and down the slopes with gravel and slushy corners make for the ultimate adrenaline pumping finale. As much expected, Sandeep Sharma and Varun Davessar ring the victory bells registering a total time of 3:41:26. Sanjay Agarwal and Venu Ramesh Kumar kept their momentum going to retain their second spot with a time of 3:42:49. Deserving a standing ovation, Amanpreet Ahluwalia and Sudeep Halder edged up to third spot. However, Suresh Rana, a legend in the motoring circuit finished fourth with a total time of 3:47:01.
“It was a nail-biting competition. We planned the everyday moments and ensured no miscommunication during the race. The determination and alertness can only bring you here,” says Sandeep Sharma.
In bikes, Mohit Verma edged out Nataraj to grab the first place finishing the rally with the overall time of 3:29:15. The defending champion of 2013, Nataraj (3:33:30) and Pramod Joshua (3:35:37) stood second and third respectively.
TEAM SPIRIT
Off the track, we catch up with the two leading motorsport enthusiasts in India, Amanpreet Ahluwalia and Sanjay Agarwal. The men burst into spontaneous laughter as they share their crazy moments from the drive. “See this is how we interact after the competition. The fight is only on track and post that, we ridicule and mock our weird moments during the race,” says Sanjay, who has been taking part in motorsport since 1980s. “I was always inclined towards cars and machines. I started motocross in late 80s. In 90s, I bought one Maruti vehicle and started taking part in these competitions,” adds he, who has won several titles.
One of the big factors that define the winnability in this game is the coordination between the driver and his navigator. Who understands this better than AmanpreetIJ The leader of the Day 1 of the race was not informed about the halt by his navigator. Result, Amanpreet skidded to eight position. “The navigator has to read the driver’s psyche. If there is a miscommunication or problem, then driving gets affected. Also, every driver has his own style of performing, so the navigator has to be dynamic and change his style of communication from pulse to pulse,” says Amanpreet, who teamed with Sudeep Halder for the first time.
Amanpreet has been into rallies for last 13 years and laments that there is not much awareness about motorsports in India. Racing is defined by glamorous F1, which has caught the fancy of famed people. “It’s difficult to even get sponsors for motorsports. Things are getting better with different manufacturers taking keen interest but nobody is looking at a holistic picture of the sport,” he says.
For a racer, spontaneity and presence of mind matter the most. More than the strategies, it is the dynamism of participants that take them to lead and brave challenges. “It’s a combination of man and machine. If you are stressed out due to any possible reason, you cannot drive. If your car is incompetent or navigator is not alert, then you cannot win the competition,” he says.
Sanjay practises yoga everyday to keep his cool. “If I lose cool, I start making mistakes. One stupid error and you are miles away or totally knocked off!” he says.