Himachal’s Suresh Rana For Desert Storm 2017

Himachal This Week

Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm Rally is all set to kick off on January 29, 2017. This is one of its kind rally that explores the sand dunes of Rajasthan desert (Thar). Himachal’s star rallyist, Suresh Rana will be seen competing in this championship this year too along with his navigator Ashwin Naik. We all know that this duo had clinched many driving championships in India and Suresh Rana holds the record to win Desert Storm for five times. Suresh Rana from Team Maruti Suzuki will look to defend his title from veterans like Sandeep Sharma, Abhishek Mishra and in the moto category India’s only Dakar finisher C S Santosh will compete against more than 40 bikers to defend his title. The rally will start from Delhi and conclude at the Sun City Jodhpur. It is organised by Northern Motorsport. Due to its unique popularity over the years this rally has produced some of the country’s best rallyist such as, Suresh Rana, Sandeep Sharma, Sunny Sidhu to name a few. The rally started in 2003, when the 1st Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm Rally took place in the sands of Rajasthan. It tested the human as well as machines to the limit as they battle the terrains and harsh weather. To get everything perfectly the preparations get underway months in advance. Maruti Team, Indian Army Team alongside many famous and renowned teams from the country lock horns in the desert to win this prestigious event.

Covering Nearly 2000 Kms

The rally covers almost 2000 kms from Delhi to Jodhpur, going through the cities of Bikaner, Jaisalmer over a period of one week. The rally’s track is chosen deliberately so that it covers picturesque, but difficult off tracks for testing the navigational skills of the participants.

2017 Desert Storm Rally Format

Xtreme, Xplore, Endure and Moto are the four formats of Desert Storm Rally. Following is the brief introduction of these formats:

* Xtreme –Without doubt the most loved format that tests the participants’ mettle as they have to complete it in fastest time. It involves 4*4 vehicles.

*  Moto –The tracks for this are same as for the Xtreme, the difference is that it is meant for bikes. The fastest time concept applies here too.

* Endure and Xplore –Based on the TSD (Time-Speed-Distance) format this is not a race. Xplore is for two wheel drive and Endure is for four wheel drive. A road map (book) is given to the driver and navigator containing all the rules and regulations and instructions related to the time and speed they are supposed to move on.

Himachali Kickboxers Shine In National Championship

Rajkumar Sen

Himachal’s kickboxers once again brought laurels to the state by proving their mettle in the National Kickboxing Championship held at Talkatora Stadium, Delhi. Himachali players won 79 medals in this championship which was organised by Kickboxing Federation, WAKO India. In the senior category, Himachal team secured second position while in sub-junior category, the team managed to grab third spot. Apart from this, in junior category too, the state’s players showed brilliant skills and added many medals in their kitty. The interesting thing is that in senior category, Himachal’s team clinched second spot for the first time. As many as 96 players participated in the championship and Himachal sealed 79 medals, including 26 gold, 24 silver and 29 bronze medals.

National Skiing Championship At Solang

Himachal This Week

After a gap of seven years, the five-day National Skiing Championship will begin at Solang ski slopes from February 2. Himachal Pradesh Winter Games Association with the help of Winter Games Federation of India and Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports will host the championship that will conclude on February 6. Nearly 200 skiers from all over the country are expected to participate in different events of the championship. These include ski teams from the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, ITBP, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering (Gulmarg), Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam, Jammu and Kashmir winter games Association, Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (Uttarakhand) and Himachal Pradesh Winter Games Association. The last championship was held at Solang in 2010. The two-day state skiing and snowboarding championship would also begin at the Solang ski slopes from January 28. As many as 22 ski clubs from all over the state are expected to participate in the championship. Nearly 250 participants would take part in the alpine skiing and snowboarding championship.

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