17th Desert Storm kicks off; Gill, Santosh eye glory

Bikaner (PTI): Three-time APRC champions Gaurav Gill will look for top honours in the four-wheel category, while CS Santosh would hope to overcome his 2019 Dakar Rally disappointment in the 17th Desert Storm that kicked off here on Wednesday.

India's most prestigious international motorsports event, the Desert Storm 2019, roared into the scorching sands of Bikaner here on Wednesday, with the who's who of the fraternity ready to whip up a superstorm in their quest for honour and glory.

Gill, Sandeep Sidhu, Lhakpa Tsering and Philippos Matthai led the four-wheeler brigade while Dakar Rally exponent Santosh, R Nataraj, Aishwarya PM and Imran Pasha topped the two-wheeler charge, setting the stage for a battle royale.

The 17th edition of the Desert Storm, an FMSCI-approved event, has become the ultimate test for man and machine, with the temperature soaring past 50 degrees this summer.

The organisers, Northern Motorsports, have made a rare concession this year, scheduling the special stages early in the morning and late in the evening to counter the heat.

As many as 130 participants were flagged off from New Delhi on Tuesday afternoon, making it one of the biggest event in the country already. This included a staggering number of manufacturers, who have adopted this platform to test their cars and bikes.

"This is the most amazing line-up that I have ever seen," Gill said at the flag-off. "Almost all the top manufacturers are here which is the best thing that could have happened to the sport."

The motorsports fraternity also got the opportunity to cheer the comeback of the Army, who fielded ten teams in the four-wheeler category and three in the two-wheeler category. The four-day Storm, in the Rally-Raid format, will take the competitors deep into the undulating dunes of the Thar desert in Rajasthan before culminating in Jaisalmer.

Each will be tested by extreme weather conditions, tough terrains and navigational challenges as they make their way to the finish line. There are three categories this year, with 34 teams (comprising of a driver and a co-driver) in the Xtreme Category, 8 teams (comprising of Driver & Co-Driver) in the Ndure Category, and 40 riders in the Moto Category.

Ten Special Stages have been conceived for the Xtreme category and seven for the Moto category, each tougher than the last one. The longest stage for them will feature a grueling 200km run in the extreme wilderness.

The Ndure Category follows the TSD format and is the stepping stone for the drivers to take part in next edition's Xtreme. The drivers and riders will be covering a distance of 2,000 kilometres over the next four days.