Srinagar: The 4th J&K Bank Mughal Rally, India’s first hill climb event, is a battle of motorsport clubs versus passionate ‘privateers’ from across the country. The two-day race will happen in Kashmir on June 28 and 29.

The motorsport clubs in the fray are Team Terrain Tigers of Gurgaon, Team Simula of Kashmir and Team Thunderbolt of Chandigarh. These clubs of speed lovers have champion rallyists in their fold to take home the Rally crown. They are up against top-of-the-line independent competitors from different parts of India, ready to give them a fantastic chase for the top spot.

The hill climb battle has 28 teams in Rally Xtreme (4X4), nine riders in Xtreme (Motorcycles), and 32 teams in Rally Enduro. Rally Xtreme is all about speed, while Rally Enduro follows the Time-Speed-Distance (TSD) format.

In Rally Xtreme, Team Terrain Tigers of Gurgaon is flexing its muscles with Amanpreet Ahluwalia, the winner of the SJOBA Sub-Himalayan Rally 2013. The team is fielding five vehicles in the Xtreme category at The Mughal Rally.

Team Terrain Tigers is now ranked among the top in competitive motorsport clubs of the country. In the SJOBA Sub-Himalayan Rally 2013, Team Terrain Tigers beat Team Thunderbolt, the reigning champion of 14 years to wrest the coveted Team Trophy. The team also won 13 trophies at Speed Sprint held in Jaipur earlier this month.

Co-founder of the team Sanjiv Singh said that after the back-to-back wins, the team’s morale is at an all-time high. “We have been preparing for The Mughal Rally keeping in mind the tough terrains that we have to drive through. We are looking forward to the challenge, and hope to come out with flying colours here too,” he said.

Team Thunderbolt of Chandigarh boasts of Amittrajit Ghosh, the winner of The 3rd J&K Bank Mughal Rally 2012. Team Thunderbolt too is fielding five vehicles in Rally Xtreme. The champion rallyists in Team Simula of Kashmir are Taufeeq Mughal and Shakti Bajaj. Team Simula has seven vehicles in Rally Xtreme. It will also participate in Rally Enduro.
The only factory team in The Mughal Rally this year is Team Maruti, fielding Suresh Rana. Rana is eight-time winner of the formidable Maruti Suzuki Raid De Himalaya, and has won the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm thrice.

J&K Tourism Minister Ghulam Ahmad Mir said it was exciting to see rallyists from diverse parts of the country competing for the winner’s trophy at The 4thJ&K Bank Mughal Rally. “In Rally Enduro, we have champions who have ranked among the top three in major motorsport events like the Raid De Himalaya, the Dakshin Dare, the Desert Storm and also at The Mughal Rally. We are now looking forward to see who will be the winner in India’s first hill climb battle,” Mir said.

The top contenders in the TSD category are the husband-wife duo of Satish Gopalkrishnan and Savera D’Souza of Bangalore; Jagmeet Gill of Chandigarh with navigator Chandra Sekhar; and Ajgar Ali with navigator Mohammed Mustafa.

The Mughal Rally is organized by Himalayan Motorsport, the premier Shimla-based motorsport club which also organizes the iconic Raid De Himalaya. President Himalayan Motorsport Vijay Parmar said he gave full marks to private teams this season. “These are people who don’t have the mega back up or the big money of factory teams. These are real club teams where members contribute to get where the action and adventure is. They have a limited budget, and they get the show on road with sheer passion for the sport,” he said.

In Rally Xtreme (Motorcycles), German Stephan Rausch, riding a Husaberg 450, is all set to give stiff competition to Mohit Verma of Chandigarh, riding a KTM 200. Verma won The Mughal Rally (Xtreme Two-Wheelers) category last year, and ranked first at the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm 2013. Rausch performed remarkably well at the Desert Storm earlier this year.

The hill climb race will be held across two of the highest peaks in the country – Pir Ki Gali and Sinthan Pass. Pir Ki Gali is the highest point on The Mughal Road, at an elevation of 11,500 feet (3,505 meters) approximately. The Mughal Road is the historic track used by Emperors Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan to traverse Kashmir to go to Lahore.

Sinthan Pass, at an altitude of 12,450 feet (3,748 meters), is on National Highway 1B, connecting Kishtwar and Anantnag. Even during the height of summer, the hill climb up to Sinthan Pass is lined with walls of snow. It is open from April to September.