CHENNAI: The top 100 rallyists of the country will take part in the Biswa Bangla JK Tyre Himalayan Drive 5 (JK HD-5) — India’s first tri-nation event — that begins in Siliguri on Sunday. The meet will cover 1,250km during its duration of five days.
The rally begins a day after the ceremonial flag-off on Saturday. It will traverse Darjeeling Hills and various routes in Bhutan and Nepal.
Among others, national TSD (Time, Speed, and Distance) champions Asgar Ali and Mohammed Mustafa, Nirav Mehta and Subir Roy, and Saurav Chatterjee will be in the fray. On the first day, rallyists will drive through North Bengal’s forests before hitting the mountain road to Paro in Bhutan.
On the second, they will journey to Dochula Pass, going past Thimphu, after which they will return to Paro.
The rallyists drive back from Paro through the Dooars on the third day, and then to Darjeeling. The fourth leg on March 1 will see them driving from Darjeeling to Hile in Eastern Nepal. The last leg will have them driving from Hile to Siliguri, where the prize-distribution ceremony will take place.