Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare Is Back

  • Jul 14, 2017
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The biggest motorsport event in South India, the Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare Rally, is all set to be flagged off from Bengaluru this weekend

2017 Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare

Every year, come monsoons and the sound of rally cars roaring across is something that a lot of enthusiasts down south are now used to, courtesy the Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare. The rally has grown to become the biggest cross-country rally in the southern part of the country and has enthralled rallying fanatics down south for almost a decade now. And with the advent of monsoons, the rally is back in its 9th edition and will be flagged off from the cybercity of Bengaluru on July 16. 

Maruti Suzuki has added a new twist to the rally this year though, and unlike before, the 2017 edition of the Dakshin Dare will not be limited to the gruelling terrains of South India only, but will also take participants through the challenging terrains of Western India. 

2017 Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare

Divided into five legs, this year’s Dakshin Dare will see competitors drive from Bengaluru towards Chitradurga in Legs 1A and 1B. Leg 2 will comprise of a short but equally gruelling route starting and ending in Chitradurga itself. Participants will then head north-west towards the city of Belgaum for Leg 3, and onwards to the culturally rich city of Kolhapur in Maharashtra. The fifth and final leg will see competitors make a dash to the city of Pune, which will also host the final prize distribution ceremony.  

Last year, Maruti Suzuki’s Suresh Rana (co-driver Parminder Thakur) clinched top honours in his Grand Vitara by winning the Ultimate Cars category while Ganesh Moorthy (co-driver T Nagarajan) won the Endurance Cars category. T Nataraj of Team TVS Racing took home the top spot in the Ultimate Bikes category on his rally-spec TVS Apache. As many as 16 women enthusiasts competed in last year’s rally too. 

2017 Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare

Speaking on his strategy for this edition of the Dakshin Dare, former champion Suresh Rana said, “The primary focus will be on keeping the vehicle safe. We won’t be pushing too hard in the initial stages. The plan is to hold back, observe and keep the car safe. However, we won’t shy away from pushing to our limits if we end up lagging behind.” Rana is also looking forward to teaming up with navigator Ashwin Naik for the 2nd time in Dakshin Dare. 
 
Rana is already in Bengaluru and seems confident ahead of the event. He expects the new route to pose newer challenges, but equally relishes the opportunity to explore newer terrains around Kolhapur and Pune. With competition getting intense and expectations mounting, Rana appears as motivated as ever for the rally.

With a new route and some of the fastest drivers and riders in the country expected to go from stage to stage at blazing speeds, we are amped about the 2017 Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare Rally. Stay tuned to ZigWheels as we will be reporting live from the event.

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