Manali to Padum (Zanskar), 1 October 2026: Rajiv Yadav and co-driver Rohit Gowda won the Xtreme (4-wheel) category of the JK Tyre Rally of Himalayas 2026, which ended in Padum, the headquarters of Zanskar district, on 30 September.
Dhritimaan Singh won the Moto (2-wheel) category. Soham Hazra and Nirav Mehta took the Adventure (4-wheel) category.
The rally raid ran for more than four days from Manali through Lahaul-Spiti and into Zanskar, with 50 cars and 80 riders in the field.
Yadav leads from day one
Yadav took the lead on Day 1 and built on it through the early stages in Lahaul and Spiti, a route that crossed Kunzum La. Local driver Aaryak Rana kept close to him in the early stages.
The route included a 72 km competitive stage that was later run in the opposite direction, so drivers had to relearn braking points and turn-ins on roads they had just driven.
Lakhpa Tsering, who won the Raid de Himalaya in 2015, had to pull his Toyota Hilux out of the rally after a technical problem.
Daksh Gill’s late charge
Daksh Gill won the next two stages after the reverse run, starting with the reverse Losar to Gramphu stage. He kept his pace on the climb towards Shinku La, where the route goes above 16,500 feet.
Gill was quick again in the Zanskar Valley, a high-speed section across open, desert-like ground, where he reached up to 200 km/h. The Zanskar stage decided the final order.
Gill and co-driver Virender Kashyap finished third in the Xtreme class. Rana and Aditya Sharma were second.
Rally of Himalayas 2026 results
Moto (2-wheel): 1 Dhritimaan Singh, 2 Happy Verma, 3 Nitish Bharadwaj.
Xtreme (4-wheel): 1 Rajiv Yadav / Rohit Gowda, 2 Aaryak Rana / Aditya Sharma, 3 Daksh Gill / Virender Kashyap.
Adventure (4-wheel): 1 Soham Hazra / Nirav Mehta, 2 Santosh HM / Prakash Muthusamy, 3 Chandra Mouli / Sri Sakthi Kumar N, 4 Sachin Mandhwani / Adhitya Anthony.
Prize distribution in Padum
Prizes were given out at a ceremony in Padum with cultural performances from the region. Those present included Arava Gopi Krishna, IAS, Administrative Secretary, Transport and Housing and Urban Development; Moses Kunzang, Staff Officer to the Chief Secretary; Tsewang Dorjai, DGM-cum-Zonal Head, J&K Bank; Rigzin Sangdup, SP Zanskar; Gulam Mohammed, CEO, Tourism Development Authority / ADDC Kargil; and Sarwar Shehzad, SDM Zanskar.
The rally was flagged off from Manali on 26 September. Read our flag-off report.
