Road to adventure

From a Himalayan challenge to day-long rallies, motorsport is on the roll

Come February, and the Indo-Bhutan Friendship Car Rally will once again take on the eastern Himalayan challenge. The fourth episode of the event — the second longest motor rally in India that covers a stretch of over 2,000 km — was announced recently. Aimed at spreading the concept of motor sports in the eastern Himalayan region and connecting people from the two countries, the rally is supported by the governments of both India and Bhutan. But this isn’t the only motorsport event to have become popular in this part of the country. In the last ten years, various motoring clubs have emerged.

“The first recorded history of motorsport was from Kolkata to Barackpore a century ago. We’re trying to keep alive the legacy of what was once an elite activity and turn it into a sport for the masses,” says Joy Prakash Majumdar, a member of the organising committee of the Bengal Motor Sporting Club and the Friendship Car Rally Association, two of Kolkata’s most active motorsports clubs. The Bengal Motor Sporting Club has been organising the Kaviguru rally, that connects Shantiniketan to other parts of Bengal for 14 years now.

Another annual event is the Monsoon Car rally, which connects Kolkata to Jamshedpur in Jharkhand. But given the deteriorating security situation in the area, the organisers are thinking of shifting the destination to Bhubaneswar. “In such ‘Time, Speed, Distance’ or TSD rallies, motorists have to take the dirt tracks, the uneven village roads and the forest route, and avoid the highway,” says Majumdar. It’s not an ideal route to take in an area vulnerable to Maoist attacks.

There’s also the ‘Special Stage Rally’, which requires a closed track. “But these are rare because of space constraint,” says Majumdar. One-day rallies by social clubs for members are more popular. Also being held are rallies where a visually-challenged navigator guides the driver with the help of a map in Braille. On an average, around 20-25 motor rallies, at the total cost of around Rs 1.25 crore, are held in Kolkata every year. As a result, besides automobile-related industries, fast food joints, telecom service providers, realty majors and soft drinks manufactures are also coming forward with sponsorships. But Suman Hazra, a 29-year-old motorsport aficionado, feels more needs to be done. “This sport has higher logistical and technical needs. But clubs have failed to involve the media and draw popular attention,” Hazra says.

The organisers say they’re doing their bit and have now approached the government for a state-of-the-art racing track.