Helicopter for rescue at Maruti Suzuki Raid De Himalaya

The Rally will have chopper evacuation in case any rallyist gets injured. The helicopter will be stationed at the Sarchu helipad.

Raid De Himalaya has the distinction of being the world's highest motorsport battle arena, with participants rallying at a height of 6,000 meters above sea level. Motorsport enthusiasts zoom at impossible speeds at the highest stretches in the Himalayas.

"Motorsport is high on adventure. We want to make the experience a safe ride for participants," said Mayank Pareek, Chief Operating Officer, Maruti Suzuki.

The chopper facility has been introduced as part of the organisers' efforts to make the event safe and secure for participants. The Raid is organised by Himalayan Motorsport, a Shimla-based motorsport club.

"In order for the event to be international, we also have to measure up to international standards and deploy a chopper for evacuation in case of an emergency," said Vijay Parmar, president of Himalayan Motorsport.

The Raid runs in two categories - Xtreme and Adventure. Xtreme is an all-out speed thing, while the Adventure category follows the TSD (time-speed-distance) format.

There are a total of 145 slots, with 50 for the Xtreme category, 60 for Adventure, and 35 for the bikers and moto-quads.

The event is organised in active coordination with the Himachal Pradesh government.