Raid de Himalaya!!


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October 15th 2014
Published: September 4th 2018
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RDH2014


I grew up in the era when once a year we got to watch “The Great Himalayan Rally” on Doordarshan. As a kid, I was extremely fascinated but never imagined myself being part of something like that!

Two decades later, a friend came up with an idea to participate in a car rally in Himalaya, which was dismissed at an early stage by various stake holders. Two years later, in 2011, having watched Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Himalayan Rally was again part of our frequent discussions. However, for some reason or other nothing was materialized for another two years. However, during this time period, we did some homework and learnt more about this rally, which burst a number of misconceptions.

Rally and race are quite different. Specifically, the one we were looking at: Raid de Himalaya Adventure, is a TSD (Time-Speed-Distance) rally. Considered the toughest rally in the world, Raid de Himalaya runs for six consecutive days at very high altitude of upto 6000 meters above sea level. It is organized by Himalayan Motorsports Association and Govt. of Himachal Pradesh; and starts from Shimla every year in October.

Preparations

As soon as the dates were announced for 2014 raid, three of us (Nirav, Siddharth, and I) paid up fees and started working on the documentation formalities. We had to undergo general medical checks and obtain a special rally license from the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), and filled out some lengthy forms.

We tried getting more information online about preparation but to no avail. From their official website, we found a mandatory to-do list before we start. Having checked off all the items to buy, we contacted a local auto repair shop and got familiarized with some minor maintenance work, specifically for XUV500. Initially we debated whether we should ship the car to Shimla from Ahmedabad, but decided to drive all the way and practice time keeping on the way. Three days before the official start, we packed our car and started from Ahmedabad. Now this was really happening!

Day-0: Scrutiny

The organizers ensure that you adhere to safety and environmental norms set by FMSCI before the flag off. Since major part of the rally was on the gravel roads and dirt trails, away from civilization, it is very important to be prepared to survive for 24 hours before the help arrives. This was followed by drivers’ briefing.

Day-1: Shimla to Manali via Jalori Pass

Rally started at 6am from Baldeyan near Shimla. Each car was flagged off at an interval of 2 minutes. As soon as we left the tarmac roads for dirt trails, initial adrenaline rush was overpowered by nervousness and some fear.

This was the day when we learnt about limitations of a 2-wheel drive SUV! Clearly, mighty Himalayas are not forgiving and a single mistake can be fatal. First skid due to mud, first gear change goof up, first experience of lack of motion in a very steep ascend – still fresh in the memory! This was not a commercial road; hence, traffic was not a big problem. Although the speed limits assigned to us looked quite manageable at first, keeping up with them was quite tough in this terrain of lose gravels, steep ascends, and U-pin bends. We made some key mistakes on this day, but glad that we reached Manali safely. This day definitely taught us a few things about the competition and boosted our confidence in our car.

Day-2: Manali to Kaza to Tabo via Kunzum La

We were warned by many about car breakages on the leg-2, since once you cross Rohtang Pass and Chhatru, road was non-existent. More than 70kms of our route was through the dry riverbeds of river Chandra; followed by high altitude driving via Kunzum La. We tried our best not to wreck our car; as doing so disqualifies you from the competition. We managed our timing also quite nicely and were excited that finally we had cracked the secrets of successful rallying and keeping up with time lines.

Fate had some other plans! Just 2 KMs short of Kunzum La, we had a flat tire. Side wall of one of the tires was burst thanks to rocky terrain. We were stuck on a narrow, steep, broken road at 14000+ feet altitude. Here, for the first time we experienced the menace of high altitudes! We took almost an hour to change a tire, a task that should have been completed in 15 minutes ideally; all thanks to frequently giving way to other vehicles and stopping to catch our breath. Finally, we were back driving but caught up in a traffic pile-up at Kunzum La. Now, we panicked! As per our calculations, we were so late that we could be disqualified due to exceeding maximum allowable lateness! We had to race our way through the Spiti Valley, trying to catch up with time. Two of the time checks had already been closed but fortunately we reached the next one just few minutes to spare! We were overjoyed learning that we were still in the game! This was the time when we knew that no matter what, with a little bit of luck, we should be able to complete all 6 legs of the competition! We reached Kaza just after sunset.

Kaza is a small town with population of 3200, at 12000 feet altitude. Notably, this town houses a petrol pump at the highest altitude in the world and a Maruti service center! Our stay was 50 kms further up at Tabo Monastery, just 20kms short of Tibet.

Day-3: Tabo Circuit

Leg-3 started quite early at 4:30am. However, this was the shortest of the legs and quite enjoyable! We had to drive 150kms through the beautiful Spiti-Lahaul Valley and pass through ancient monasteries of Dhankar and Ki. We got back to Kaza by 1pm and had lunch (apparently, our maiden lunch during this competition).

Day-4: Tabo to Keylong

Three hours into the race, we encountered our first snow fall of the trip. However, within minutes pleasant snowflakes transformed into a snow blizzard! Visibility went down to almost zero and the roads became slippery due to black ice. Looking at the worsening conditions, officials decided to cancel the rest of the leg and asked us to reach our destination safely. Descend from Kunzum La pass was a bit tricky, but once we were on the other side, weather started getting better. We reached our destination in time for dinner.

Day-5: Keylong Circuit

This was the longest day, distance wise: 350+ kms from Keylong to Shingo La and back. Although a very hectic day, the drive was definitely one of most scenic. A considerable part of the drive was on tarmac road and included some well known points such as Baralacha La, Sarchu, Gatta Loops, Nakee La, and Shingo La. Weather was much better too. A relatively non-happening day, but not complaining!

Day-6: Keylong to Manali

On the last day, everyone looked quite excited to get back to Manali! We knew that if everything went fine, we will be enjoying a hot coffee in the comforts of the Citrus Resort before sunset! Now, only obstacle for us to finish our first raid was not to break our car while crossing Pagal Nalla and the Chandra riverbed once again. Our major concerns were deteriorating brake pads, bushes, and clutch pads. We felt as if we were so close, yet so far! We couldn’t relax until we reached Rohtang Pass! Once we crossed Rohtang, we finally got mobile signals back, roads were much smoother, and felt great to be back to civilization!

Evening was full of celebrations, followed by a good night of sleep! Next day was closing ceremony followed by official lunch. We bid adieu to fellow participants who had become very good friends and started driving towards Ahmedabad via Panipat and Ajmer, where we halted for respective nights.

Post thoughts

As expected, Raid de Himalaya was full of adrenaline rush! I cannot describe in words how it felt to live the childhood dream.

Should you go? If you really enjoy road trips, do not get bogged down by heavy traffic, do not mind spending nights in very basic hotels, or skipping meals: go for it! There are shorter rallies in India, which one can try before participating in the raid.

Will I go again? Definitely!

Which car should you use? Cars and SUVs are two separate categories in the raid, but follow the same route! At some points, an SUV will find it easy to manage the broken roads due to higher suspension. But it is not a deal breaker.

Do you need any special training or equipments? If you can learn basic car repairing, it might come very handy! Definitely practice changing tires! Invest in a good quality jack and air pump.

See you guys on the roads!

PS: Please view the full set of photos here: Google Album


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