2015 Dakshin Dare Rally flagged off

The seventh edition of the Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare Rally was flagged off here on Sunday with 170 competitors vying for honours in three different categories in the six-day five-leg off-road motorsport event along the gruelling but scenic 2,000-km stretch from here to Hyderabad.

The four-wheelers (Ultimate Car) category will see the participation of 24 teams while the two-wheelers (Ultimate Bike) category will have 43 riders. The Endurance Car category will have 38 contenders. The organisers are claiming that the event will see more than 40 percent of new contestants.

The rally will cover a total distance of 2,000 km in five legs and the competitors will have to traverse through Davangere, Shimoga, Hampi, Gulbarga, Chitradurga and Bellary before culminating in Hyderabad on August 7.

The tarmac and uneven rocky paths across the route will make it even more arduous, especially with the occasional monsoon showers.

Team Maruti’s Sandeep Sharma (co-driver Varun Davessar), driving a Gypsy, is confident of defending the title in the four-wheeler category. But he will face stiff competition from nine-time Raid de Himalaya <g data-gr-id="22"><g data-gr-id="24">and and</g> <g data-gr-id="21">three-time</g></g> winner of Desert Storm, Suresh Rana (Parminder Thakur), who is eager to taste maiden victory at the south Indian rally. “I am confident and positive ahead of the race and I am looking to be consistent over the next six days,” said Rana.