Raid de Himalaya to race to Khardung La

Leaving the Dakar Rally behind, the Maruti Suzuki Raid de Himalaya will take on two of the highest mountain passes in the world this year - Khardung La and Wari La.

The Raid, the highest motorsport battle arena, turns 15 this year and will run Oct 4-12.

The highest altitude that the prestigious Dakar Rally touches is approximately 3,000 feet. The Raiders will race to Khardung La, at an elevation of 18,379 ft and Wari La, at an elevation of 17,300 ft in Ladakh. The mountain passes are marked by heavy snowfall and blizzards.

Maruti Suzuki vice-president (marketing) Manohar Bhat said that this time the raid will have the maximum number of competitors and a record number of entries in each category.

The rally will boast of 45 teams in Raid Xtreme (4x4) and over 45 in Raid Xtreme (Motorcycles and Motoquads). Raid Adventure towers the charts with 70 teams. Raid Xtreme is all about speed while Raid Adventure follows the TSD (Time-Speed-Distance) format.

"It is the only Indian motorsport event listed on the off-road rallies calendar of FIA," Bhat said.

The Raid will begin from Shimla and traverse the difficult stretches of Kaza and the Monastery Necklace, Khardung La and Wari La, and the Nubra Valley. It will draw to a close at Leh.

The Raid is organised by Shimla-based motorsport club, Himalayan Motorsport.