Rallying

Check out this awesome video.

(This is an excellent and a very detailed account of the 2008 Raid de Himalaya Xtreme event given out by experienced rallyist Ashish Gupta. It was originally posted at http://www.rally.co.in/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2049. Please visit this link for pictures and the follow up discussion. The content here has been reproduced with Ashish's permission.)

Am back behind my desk after completing my 3rd Raid Xtreme and thought I will put down a detailed account of the event with some pictures from my camera. Contrary to what the weather seemed to be indicating before the event and apart from some controversies which you have all read about, it was a great Raid and ran its full course over some amazing terrain. The account below will hopefully reveal that no amount of vehicle preparation can assure you of a problem free run and the camaraderie among competitors irrespective of the competitive atmosphere is what makes rallying and the Raid so special.

This is an awesome video with some of the best clips of the last 6 years of the 'Desert Storm' rally. Super cool!

(Disclaimer: Please use the information in this article with careful discretion and sound judgment. The author shall not be liable for any damages whatsoever (howsoever caused) which arise out of or in connection with the use of this site/article)

There is no substitute for actual look and real practice (in a safe open place) to learn the rally driving techniques, but here is an attempt to capture the basics and pointers to some useful resources out on the web.

(This is a wonderful account of Raid de Himalaya by Farhan Vohra, winner of reliability category of this rally in 2006. It was originally posted at http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travelogues/18553-report-raid-de-himalaya-... . Please visit this link for the amazing pictures and the interesting follow up discussion. The content here has been reproduced with permission from Farhan and team-bhp.com)

2400 Kms of bone jarring / suspension breaking terrain, dizzy heights of over 18,000 feet above Sea level, heart stopping drops of over 6000 feet, Temperatures ???? - the lesser said the better - Welcome to the Raid-de-Himalaya 2006.

The 8th edition of the Raid-de-Himalaya was held between the 30th Of September and the 6th Of October 2006. A record number of entries - 100 participants - 26 in the Extreme "Cars" category, 34 in the Reliability (cars and SUV's) and 40 Insane Bikers. In all, out of the three categories only 50 finished. The event redefines the term "Endurance" and will test you and your machine beyond your wildest of imaginations. You get to see Mother Nature in her Best and wildest Avatar. Disrespect her and you are not asking but begging for TROUBLE.

During my recent quest for owning a Gypsy, i stumbled on this awesome site and community: http://www.team-bhp.com

If you want to discuss about Indian cars, and expand your automotive knowledge, this is the place to be. The site already has an incredible and a huge knowledge base (approaching 1 million posts).

One of the more useful information on this site is about how to go about modifying your car:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifying-car/25959-article-how-modify-tun...

Four wheel drive mode is generally used for low traction conditions like snow, mud, loose gravel etc, and is generally available in the following two variants:

• 4 High
• 4 Low

Essentially, in such a drive system, all the 4 wheels receive torque from the engine simultaneously. These off-road vehicles offer better control on many surfaces and are an important part in rally racing, through difficult terrain.

I found this nice video showing modifications made in a Gypsy, to prepare it for rallying. The embedding of this video is disabled, so you would have to go to this link to view it.

The add-ons have been described very well by experienced rallyist Ashish Gupta. Here is a quick summary:

• Roll Cage to prevent the cabin from collapsing in case of a tumble
• Circuit Breaker used to disconnect all electricals in case of an accident
• Fire Extinguisher