If you want to take up motorsports, you’ve got to be crazy,” says Nissan GT Academy finalist Glen Ivan as we meander down the scenic Leh–Manali Highway hunting for mobile network. “Crazy enough to invest loads of money so you can drive around in circles,” the now-auto-show presenter chuckles.
But why would someone want to race on these roads? The trees are decked in orange-yellow leaves and the deep gorge, that appears bottomless, is flanked by mountains on either side. Wouldn’t you rather just cruise along and relish the beauty of nature? But at the Raid de Himalaya — the world’s highest motorsport rally — nature is more of a challenge than charm.
The Raid isn’t for the faint of heart; the picturesque landscapes soon turn hostile and grown men are often sent home crying. But while getting tossed around on boulder-infested roads, watching vehicles break down in the middle of nowhere, you realise that the very act of driving here isn’t for the faint-hearted.
Apart from the terrain, the sub-zero temperatures and thin air at 17,000-odd feet above sea level make the six-day rally even more gruelling. No surprise then that less than half the contestants make it to the finish line.
Most participants wear a look of uncertainty. But among them, Vishwas SD, a particularly bubbly man, makes no effort to hide his enjoyment. Having heard other contestants talk about putting in everything to ‘focus 110 per cent’ on the road, I ask Vishwas what’s on his mind.
“Thousands of thoughts: ‘Am I going to brake properly? Am I going to miss that turn? Am I going to fall off that cliff?’” he answers. “You spend so much and put in so much effort. If you’re not enjoying, you’re not adding value to the whole atmosphere, and there’s no point. So win or lose, in life, that’s how it is.”
The participants have had their share of highs and lows — from Suresh Rana’s 11 wins (he placed first this year as well) to Subhamoy Paul’s unfortunate death last year — but what’s common among them is their never-give-in attitude.
One of the bikers, Samarth Neeraj, deservingly won the Subhamoy Paul Memorial Trophy for riding 240 km to Pang after breaking his leg in an accident on day two. But unfortunately, he had to be hospitalised and couldn’t make it to Leh to receive the award.
Even to Vishwas, who finished fifth in the Moto Xtreme category, a setback is nothing new. “I hardly prepared before coming here in 2015. On day one, my front wheel got punctured and was bent, rear wheel had 18 spokes broken and was also punctured. I dislocated my knee and my helmet fell off with a GoPro Hero 5. I went home crying,” he recalls. “But I came back the next year saying: ‘I want to conquer this’.”
However, sheer determination doesn’t seem to do the trick for everyone. “My first priority is to keep my car safe,” says 11-time winner Suresh Rana. “In terms of preparation, we do regular recces before the rally, and physically, I keep myself fit; but above all else, patience is necessary. Someone else might be leading in the beginning, but you need to remember it’s a long rally and anything can happen on the way.”
He goes on to say that his ears are always open to listen to his navigator. But Murthy, his navigator, jokes: “I spend most of my time relaxing in the car as I’m quite confident about Rana.”
With the 1,850-km route covering streams, river beds, mountains and valleys, fatigue is sure to set in as contestants navigate crater-like potholes and boulder-laden roads. Not to mention the weather. The sun, shining mercilessly through the biting cold, leaves you unsure of whether you’re getting baked or frozen. It’s only expected then that both man and machine perform below par.
“I had a crash on day one; I had a crash on day four,” says Aishwarya Pissay, a full-time racer from Bengaluru, as she goes on to laud her team, which she likens to a Formula One pit crew. “You drop the bike and bring it; they’ll make it brand new. Plus, they were adjusting the jetting every day because of the altitude, so the bike’s running really well,” she says, after completing the rally.
However, Aishwarya wasn’t so lucky last year. “During the first 20 km, my front brake was gone along with my gear peg; so I was stuck on a single gear and finished 70 km. I crossed the MPL (maximum permitted lateness) so I couldn’t get past day one,” she says. While there are those who proudly don the ‘completed the Raid’ badge — which is quite a feat in itself — there are some for whom the rally serves as an annual pilgrimage. Some of these people spend the year preparing for it.
Rupinder Singh, who has completed the Raid de Himalaya 10 times with nine podium finishes, still doesn’t take the challenge lightly. “It takes almost a year to prepare to come here. I go to the gym six days a week. On the seventh, I go cycling either 50 or 100 km,” he says, adding that he works on his bike himself, with help from his father, who used to be a mechanic. The stories defy belief just like most of the terrain you encounter on the Raid. Perhaps it’s true — you’ve got to be crazy to do this!
davidmichael@newindianexpress.com
Roots and races
Started in 1999 under the aegis of Himalayan Motorsport Association (HMA), Raid De Himalaya is the world’s highest rally raid. A non-profit organisation, HMA conducts motorsport events in the Himalayan regions of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttarakhand.Other events run by HMA include the Dhorra Kross (Desert 4x4 training in Rajasthan) and the Ice Kross (Snow and Ice 4x4 training in Himachal/Kashmir).