Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm gears up for its 14th season

Rallying, one of the most hair-raising and thrilling motorsports events in the world, is seeing a steady growth in India, thanks to endeavours like the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm that pits man and machine against the harsh Indian elements. The event, also referred to as the Mini Dakar rally – after the world famous Paris Dakar rally – will flag off its 14^th season on 4th April 2016 from New Delhi.

From New Delhi, the rally will battle the harsh and inhospitable conditions of the Thar Desert in Rajasthan, offering the participants a tough off-roading experience and a fiesta to the local community. The six-day extreme event will cover over 2000 kms starting from New Delhi traversing through Hanumangarh, Bikaner, Jaisalmer to conclude in Jodhpur on April 10, 2016.

As with previous iterations, this year’s Desert Storm will also be held in four categories - XTreme, NDure, Xplore & Moto. Over 200 participants are set to take up this challenge across categories. In an endeavour to add new innovations to the signature rallies, Maruti Suzuki will introduce part-participation/flexi-format in the Xplore category of Desert Storm. The Xplore category will run in two parts, and one can participate either for all 6 days or opt for a shorter duration (initial 3 days or last 3 days). The objective is to encourage the participants who find it challenging to participate across all six days. Also, following some great response received in the previous edition, the concept of “night stage” has been sustained for over 160 kilometres in the rally.

Announcing the 14th edition of Desert Storm, Mr. Vinay Pant, General Manager, Marketing, , Maruti Suzuki India said, “With a focus on strengthening the connect with the youth of India, Maruti Suzuki keeps the thrill and adventure alive in participants and audience through pioneering motorsport rallies. We have always strived to promote motorsport in India. Through the rallies our participants get to explore their talent in off-roading while abiding to the safe driving philosophy. Over the years Maruti Suzuki rallies are considered to be at par with international standards; and by introducing new concepts like part-participation/flexi-format in Desert Storm, we are adding innovation and aim to reach out to a wider audience.”

Maruti Suzuki’s annual calendar of motorsport events includes Autocross, Treasure Hunt and professional rallies including Maruti Suzuki Raid-De-Himalaya, Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm and Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare. The company has also recently added the National Rally Championship to its motorsport calendar.

Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm Rally – Schedule: