Srinagar: The 3rd J&K Bank Mughal Rally 2012, which zoomed off from Srinagar on Saturday, saw high drama and some miraculous escapes on Day One of the event.
Chandigarh’s motorsport champion Sunny Sidhu and his navigator PVS Murthy, part of Team Mahindra, had a providential escape when the steering rod of their vehicle broke when the duo were racing downhill, about three kms from Pir Ki Gali. The Mahindra Thar hit the mountain wall and flipped on the navigator’s side. By sheer good luck, the incident happened where the track was enclosed by mountain walls on both sides. Sidhu and Murthy did not suffer any injury because they were well-strapped into their vehicles in keeping with the strictest safety norms followed by Himalayan Motorsport, the premier Shimla-based club that organizes the event for the Jammu and Kashmir Government.
The Gujjars of Kashmir refer to mountain passes as ‘Gali’. Pir Ki Gali is located at a height of 3,505 meters approximately, higher than the Banihal Pass in Kashmir (2832 meters). Pir Ki Gali is a spectacular track with sheer cliffs.
Another moment of high drama came when the SUV of Ludhiana rallyist Jagbir Nirwan and his navigator Shiv Karan fell into a ditch. Fortunately, both did not suffer any major injuries.
A major upset for automobile major Maruti Suzuki was when its only entry at the event, Manali’s
Suresh Rana, had to bow out of the event due to mechanical failure in his vehicle. Rana suffered a breakdown in his Grand Vitara while coming downhill from Pir Ki Gali towards Bafliaz, near Poshan.
While the final results for Day One of the event will be finalized late, initial reports state that Karamjit Singh, a Malaysian of Indian origin participating as a Team Mahindra rallyist, has been among the quickest in both stages of Rally Xtreme today. Another rallyist leading in the Xtreme category is Amit Ranjan Ghosh. The tentative leaders in the Enduro category on the first day of the event are Amol Satoskar, Satish Gopal Krishnan and Aditya Anthony.
The Mughal Rally has two categories – Xtreme and Enduro. Xtreme is an outright speedshow, and includes 4X4 SUVs and bikers. Enduro follows the Time-Speed-Distance (TSD) format. In the bikers category, Yogesh Lakhani of Chandigarh and Chetan Ganpati of Bangalore are among those holding the top positions on Day One.
The rally was flagged off from the Royal Springs Golf Course, Srinagar, early today morning by Minister of State for Tourism, Culture and Home,Nasir Aslam Wani. The rally, which will clock about 650 kms of competitive driving this year, passes through the historic Mughal Road that was once traversed by the caravans of Mughal emperors to reach Kashmir.
Wani said The Mughal Rally is a big step towards promotion of adventure tourism in the state. He added that such events help in showcasing the immense tourism potential of untouched areas like Simthan Pass, Peer Ki Gali, Bafliaz and the picturesque medieval Mughal Sarai at Aliabag along the historic Mughal road, a heritage road that connects Kashmir valley with Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu division. Mr Wani added that the rally encourages the youth of the state to come forward
and participate in adventure tourism.
As the Minister flagged off the rally, 186 adventure lovers hit the historic road in 93 vehicles including 4X4 SUVs, cars and motorcycles. Rally Xtreme returned from Bafliaz after two competitive stretches of 66 kms each, while Rally Enduro proceeded to Jammu after crossing Mughal road at Bafliaz.
