In the most challenging and enduring ‘Extreme’ 4-wheeler category of rallying, all three winners were steering Maruti Suzuki vehicles. Besides, two of the podium finishes in Endurance category too came on Maruti Suzuki manufactured vehicle.
Amanpreet Ahluwalia/Venueramesh Team Maruti, driving a Maruti Suzuki Gypsy won the title this year, a unique achievement for this annual event, as it is the only cross country motorsports rally in the country which throws up a new victor each year. Suresh Rana/Parminder Thakur, from Team Maruti again, was second on the podium steering their Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara. The third position was bagged by Imran Khan/Gagan Vijay who had put his Maruti Suzuki Gypsy into the challenge.
Amanpreet/Venuramesh had led the Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare in leg 2, 3, 4 and 5, and managed a cumulative timing of 3.45.00 Hrs over 5 days to lift the title. Rana/Thakur who had kept themselves in contention by being the leader on day 1 and then maintaining the second slot thereafter, returned with a final overall timing of 3.48.41 Hrs, which fetched them the runners up trophy. Imran/Gagan had a momentous occasion on Day 3, when they broke into top three of leadership board and finally bagged the second runner up with a timing of 4.42.54 Hrs.
In bikes category, R Nataraj won the Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare crown for the second time in a row by a very comfortable margin. He completed the entire distance in a cumulative time of 4.09.58 Hrs. Saratha stood second with a cumulative timing of 4.32.06 Hrs while Akshay came in third with a cumulative timing of 4.51.53 Hrs. All three winners were riding below 260 cc bikes.
In Endurance category, it was a very tough challenge through all five days, with the top five on leader board being within penalty time of less than a minute throughout all stages, making it the most challenging in TDS rally this year. Kartik Maruti/Shankar Anand, who had earlier been the runners up in the Second and the Fourth edition of Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare, led all through the five days and earned an overall of penalty of 0.01.32 Hrs. Bangalore couple Satish Gopalakrishnan/Savera D’Souza, who had earlier won the Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare in 2011, earned a penalty of 0.01.46 to secure the runners up title. Sudip Ghosh/Arindam Ghosh won the third spot on the podium with a cumulative penalty of 0.01.50 Hrs.
Felicitating the winners, Mr. Manohar Bhat, Vice President (Marketing), Maruti Suzuki India Limited said, “We are delighted to see the motorsport enthusiasts coming back to this flagship event of Southern India, with more energy and fervor, and brave the dirt and grime of relentless monsoons. Maruti Suzuki has a packed calendar of many more motorsports events across India and provide platform to the ever growing population of these enthusiasts realize their drive and dreams. These events not just provide excitement to motorsports lovers, but also help in promoting controlled and safe driving habits.”
Over 147 motorsports enthusiasts from across the country had come together to participate in Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare 2013 registering a growth of around 57% in overall participation over last edition. Each participant covered between 300 to 500 kms per day, inclusive of special and transport stages.
The rally spread over 34 special stages with monsoons in background, and tested the nerve and grit of all participants and their machines in a unique multi-terrain adventure. After the ceremonial flag off in Bangalore, Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare 2013 had special stages like ‘Coconut Stage’ on day 1 in Deccan Plateau at Titpur, the ‘Coorg Stage’ at Polibetta on the Eastern slopes of Western Ghats on day 2, ‘Craig Valley’ leg around Oooty in the Nilgiris, the Valparai Leg in Annamalai mountain range on penultimate day and the “Satyamangala’ leg on final day finishing at Bangalore. The Rally will have night halts at tourist hot spots like Mysore, Ooty and Coimbatore while it traverses through exotic locations like Chikmagalore, Waynad, Palani, Kodaikanal and Pollachi.
The next event in the Maruti Suzuki Motorsports calendar is Maruti Suzuki Raid-De-Himalaya that is scheduled for October 2013. Maruti Suzuki has extended special invites to the motorsports enthusiasts from Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare to join this event as well.
Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare 2013 was organized in partnership with Motorsports Inc., a leading motorsports organizer of India, for the fifth year in the running.
Final Results:
Extreme Cars: Amanpreet Ahluwalia/Venuramesh: 3.45.00 Hrs, Suresh Rana/Parminder Thakur: 3.48.41 Hrs, Imran Khan/Gagan: 4.42.54 Hrs
Extreme Bikes: R Nataraj: 4.09.58 Hrs, Saratha: 4.32.06 Hrs, Akshay: 4.51.53 Hrs.
Endurance Cars: Karthik Maruti/Shankar Anand: 0.01.32 Hrs, Satish Gopalakrishnan/ Savera D’Souza: 0.01.46 Hrs, Sudip Ghosh/Amandeep Ghosh 0.01.50 Hrs
Maruti Suzuki and Motorsport:
As an automobile leader, Maruti Suzuki has been promoting motor sports since its inception in the 1980s. To popularize action sport, the Maruti Suzuki motorsport calendar is packed with exciting motoring events. Be it for a motorsport enthusiast, an amateur or a professional and irrespective of gender, there are events that offer the thrill and joy of motorsport to one and all. The annual calendar of events includes Autocross, Treasure Hunt and professional rallies including Maruti Suzuki Raid-de-Himalaya, Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm and Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare. These events provide rallying thrills as well as promote safe driving habits.
