The most anticipated motorsports event in South, the Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare, flagged off its 9th edition on July 16, from Orion Mall, Bengaluru, with a power packed participation of 180 rallyists.
Adding a new twist this year, the Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare will not be limited to the grueling terrains of Southern India, but will also transition into the terrains of the Western parts, bringing in more excitement and trials. The first leg of the rally took off on July 17 and will conclude in Pune on July 22.
There are 5 Legs and two formats in the present edition of Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare – Ultimate and Endurance. The Ultimate has 2 sub-categories – Ultimate-Bikes and Ultimate- Cars. The ultimate category will test the drivers and riders on time and consistent performance, while the Endurance category is about control and precision.
The 2016 edition of Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare started in Bengaluru, covered a distance of 2200 kms, traversed through scenic undulating terrains of South India and concluded with a grand finale in Goa. Suresh Rana and co-driver late Parminder Thakur, driving their Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, won the Ultimate Cars category while Ganesh Moorthy and T Nagarajan led the Endurance Cars category. T Natraj had a big-win in the Ultimate Bikes category covering the distance on his TVS Apache.
The 8th edition saw 190 participants, highest ever in the history of Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare, and hopes to break the record this year. This year Maruti Suzuki Motorsports will be represented by Team Maruti Suzuki.
Key participants from Team Maruti Suzuki
Suresh Rana (Driver) + Ashwin Naik (Navigator)
Last year’s winner of Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare, Suresh Rana, would be driving with navigator Ashwin Naik in his Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara. Rana is an icon who has been rallying for the last 16 years and has won the Maruti Suzuki Raid de Himalaya 10 times and Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm six times.
Sandeep Sharma (Driver) + Karan Arya (Navigator)
The Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare is not new for rally driver Sandeep Sharma who has won the title many times driving for Maruti Suzuki. Sharma would be driving along with Karan Arya on Maruti Suzuki Gypsy. He has been the national champion for 3 years and his favourites include Maruti Suzuki Raid de Himalaya.
2017 Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare time table
| July 15 | Snickering, documentation & scrutiny | |
| July 16 | LEG 1A | Bengaluru to Bengaluru; ceremonial flag off |
| July 17 | LEG 1B | Bengaluru to Chitradurga |
| July 18 | LEG 2 | Chitradurga to Chitradurga |
| July 19 | LEG 3 | Chitradurga to Belgaum |
| July 20 | LEG 4 | Belgaum to Kolhapur |
| July 21 | LEG 5 | Kolhapur to Pune |
| July 22 | Prize Distribution |
Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare continues to become tougher by day and the 9th edition is going to be more challenging and fun.
For more details regarding rules and regulations kindly visit – http://www.marutisuzukimotorsport.com/rallies/dakshin-dare.aspx
Stay tuned for all the thrilling updates from the Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare by following its official social media pages- Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube.
