Subir Roy And Nirav Mehta Win The Backwaters Rally

The 2016 Maruti Suzuki Backwaters Rally was concluded yesterday, with Subir Roy emerging as a champion in his Swift along with his co-driver Nirav Mehta. In this third and final round of the race which concluded in Kochi on Sunday, Satish Gopalakrishnan and his co-driver Savera D’Souza were awarded second place on the podium in their Grand Vitara. While Jagmeet Gill and his navigator Chandan Sen stood third (the results are from the Expert Category). In the Amateur Category, Santhosh M Kumar stood first along with his navigator Pradeep N.

Vinay Pant, assistant vice-president, marketing, Maruti Suzuki India awarded the winner with trophies. He stated, “The action-packed rally has witnessed some extremely enthusiastic rally lovers showcasing their talent at the event. This is the first time any motorsports activity was organized in this part of the country and response was overwhelming. With this new shorter format of rallying we want to take motorsports to the masses. TSD (Time-Speed-Distance) is the safest form of rallying and we ensure and encourage safe driving, a key focus area for Maruti Suzuki.”

The rally covered a total distance of 650km, starting from Ooty to Kochi and saw over 30 teams traverse through the scenic route.

Subir Roy, the winner, said, “We are delighted after winning the Backwaters Rally as it gives us a lead for the fourth edition. We are glad to have overcome this round in such a successful way and look forward to the upcoming challenges.”

The rally was split into four sections namely: Non-Championship—Expert, Non-Championship—Amateur, Denizen—Expert and Denizen—Amateur. Following the TDS format, the Rally tests the skills of both the driver as well as the navigator and the level of coordination among the two. It is the safest form of motorsport that bestows the participants with an adventurous ride and provides amateurs with ample opportunities to learn from.