'Dakshin Dare' rally kicks off from Bangalore on Aug 4

The sixth Maruti Suzuki 'Dakshin Dare' rally will kick off from Bangalore on August 4 and culminate in Goa on the ninth.
Travelling through the Southern Peninsula of India, it will cover Mysore, Shimoga, Chitradurga, Davengere, Bellary, Hospet and Hubli, across almost 2000 kms.
Explaining the event, Manohar Bhat, Maruti Suzuki vice president - marketing, said, "After successfully running the Raid de Himalaya and the Desert Storm motorsport events, Maruti Suzuki looked southward in 2009 for a new motorsport circuit to expand into. The unique possibilities that the landscape in the south offered made Dakshin Dare a real challenge, both for the racers and the organisers.

"This Dakshin Dare is all about the terrain, weather conditions and road surfaces that are unique to the south India. The monsoon conditions and marshy terrain surely add to the challenge and excitement," Bhat added.
Though the event is open to both men and women who have a keen interest in motorsports, it also welcomes young stars, raring to carve a name in adventure sports.
Prior to the final leg of the rally, the participants and their vehicles will be put under strict scrutiny conditions and security checks. The selected participants will then be competing against each other in three categories - Ultimate Car category, Ultimate Bike Category and Endure Category.

Manali man, Suresh Rana, nine times winner of Raid de Himalaya and three times winner of Desert Storm, is gunning to win his first Dakshin Dare title this year.
"India is slowly opening to the idea of speed adventure and motor sports, thanks to a lot of youngsters who want to juice their adrenaline rush. Companies like Maruti Suzuki have really helped me and many other people like me, with a platform to refine our skills, enhance our motorist skills and experience the unadulterated joys of rallying. I am really hoping to bag the Dakshin Dare title too," he said.