Himalayan Raid organiser to join Desert Storm

Shimla - The president Himalayan Motorsport Association (HMA), the Shimla-based club which annually organises one of the toughest off-road rallies in the country, plans to try his hand at another event, this time as a competitor.

Vijay Parmar, president of the HMA, the organiser of Raid-de-Himalaya, is preparing to compete as a biker in the 11th edition of the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm that will be organised in desert of Rajasthan Feb 18 to 23.

“It’s simply adventure and thrill that brings me back to active racing,” Parmar told IANS.

He will be participating in the Xtreme Moto and Quad category for the first time after 1994, when he was 30 years old.

“The joy and passion of rallying keeps drawing you back. A fringe benefit is that this will yield first-hand knowledge of the problems faced by bikers and help us organise the ‘Raid’ better,” he said.

Parmar, who has been a champion biker, will ride KTM-450 EXC, customised for the International Six Day Enduro (ISDE), the toughest international race in its category.

The Desert Storm cross-country motorsport rally will zoom through the harsh, inhospitable vast stretches of the Thar desert spread over Jaisalmer and Bikaner, and reach the finish line in Jaipur, covering a distance of 2,200 km.

Event orgnaisers say more than 250 participants will vie in four-wheel and two-wheel in Xtreme, Moto, Ndure and Xplore categories.

Suresh Rana, the champion cross-country rallyist from the hill state, is also participating in Desert Storm.

Eight-time ‘Raid’ and two-time Desert Storm winner Rana will be in the Xtreme (4X4) category. He will be driving Grand Vitara.

Ace rallyists Gaurav Gill, Karamjit Singh, Sunny Sidhu, Lohit Urs and Rajan Syal will also try their skills and luck in the Xtreme category.