Six days, 3,500 kilometres, and over 280 participants - the MSIL Desert Storm rally is a gruesome test of skills for man and machine

Covering 3,500km in six days, the 10th edition of the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm Rally is seeing the largest participation of rally enthusiasts, defence forces and Maruti employees. Commenced in New Delhi, the first leg of the rally has a night rally section introduced last year. After a round trip through Rajasthan and Gujarat, that will include crossing the Thar Desert and the marshes of the Rann of Kutch, the rally will end in Ahmedabad on February 25, 2012.

With over 280 participants, the Desert Storm has grown bigger than ever. More than 130 entries for cars, 16 for bikes and for the first time, four trucks are a part of the rally. AMW has put in four of its trucks to compete in the NDURE category that will also participate through the whole series, not to mention the added adrenaline rush. Defence forces and rally enthusiasts aside, employees of Maruti Suzuki have also taken part in the event. And the icing on the cake is the first-time participation of two Mahindra XUVs along with Mahindra Thars, Maruti Suzuki Gypsy cars, and an all ladies team that would be driving a Swift, SX4s and the Tata Full Throttle team.

In its 10th edition, the Desert Storm Rally has been gaining popularity and has become one of the most anticipated events in the Indian Motorsport calendar. Shashank Srivastava, Chief General Manager (Marketing), said, "We at Maruti Suzuki are committed to nurture and promote motorsport & motorsport enthusiasts in India. The success of Raid-de-Himalayas, Desert Storm Rally and Dakshin Dare – the most awaited and coveted events in the motorsport calendar of the country, are a true testimony of that. Every year, our effort is to enhance the excitement and thrill of these events. Our core team brings in newer route, adds additional sections and explores new segments to keep the thrills alive. Motorsports events are important for us from feedback perspective. These inputs form the basis for product improvements.” 

The Desert Storm rally has three formats – XTREME, a no-TSD (Time, Speed, Distance) rally that saw the maximum entries, and TSD-based categories, XPLORE  and NDURE. Besides the Desert Storm Rally, the company also organises a number of other motorsport events over the year like the Autocross , Raid de Himalaya and its latest initiative, the Dakshin Dare.