Racers gear up for the Himalayan raid

CHENNAI: Just the thought of a road at over 17,000 feet, nestled in the mountains of Jammu and Kashmir, can cause those who have an aversion to heights, a bad touch of vertigo. But for people like Shuchi Thakur, its a yearly pilgrimage, albeit one that is tackled with four wheels and one hell of a resilient attitude, "This is the sixth year that I'm going to be doing the Raid," she recounts of the Maruti Suzuki Raid-De-Himalaya, an annual motor-sports rally that is going to flag off its 13th edition this October. Having competed in the 'X-treme' category over the 'Adventure' one, Shuchi says that she much prefers the former because of the challenge it offers. With an increased tally of 291 drivers competing for the high-altitude crown, this year's raid will begin at Shimla, proceed through Leh-Ladakh and finally terminate at Srinagar, in what looks to be a thrilling six-day adventure.Not only is Shuchi one of the few competitors from the state to participate in the raid, she also happens to be one of only 10 women from across India, preparing to race. Her navigator Shweta Joshi, from Conoor, is on the other end of the spectrum, "This is the first time I'm ever trying something this exciting and I am really looking forward to it," she said. Both their husbands are with the Indian Navy and are teaching at the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington, "We're leaving for Delhi next week and hopefully we'll be able to do a recce before the race starts on October 11," she added.When asked about whether she was worried about mechanical problems during the race, Shuchi has an admirable attitude for someone who had been literally knocked out of the race by vehicle worries, two years running, "The first Maruti Suzuki Gypsy I had raced from 2005 onward, finally conked during the 2008 raid. A similar problem happened in 2009 as well, so my fingers are crossed when looking forward to 2011," she says with determination.A similar sentiment is echoed by K Chandrasekharan, who is the Manager at the famous Coimbatore Auto Sports Club, "As a navigator it is important to not only know the route and terrain but also the driver and the vehicle. Coming from a place where there's motorsports all around on a track, just thinking about driving so high up in the mountains is breath-taking," he said. He will be joining his driver in New Delhi next week, he adds."The participation from the South and particularly from Chennai has been overwhelming in the past few years for the Raid," says Shashank Srivastava, CGM-Marketing, Maruti Suzuki, "Especially with the amount of enthusiasm and race-skills that people in Tamil Nadu have, they are ideal in furthering the reach of motorsports in India.”