Maruti Suzuki organizes Women Car Rally in New Delhi

Maruti Suzuki flagged-off an all women car rally in New Delhi.With a singular motive of encouraging women participation in motorsports, the company is spearheading such multiple intra city rallies. The one-day event saw an overwhelming response with 80 Maruti Suzuki
cars all steered by women drivers.

"Maruti Suzuki's association with motorsports spans across the last 2 decades. With each passing year, women interest in rallies has seen a significant upsurge.The TSD rally is a test of driving as well as planning skills which serves as a stepping stone for women enthusiasts eager to carve their niche in adventure sports. Moreover, it increasingly offers them opportunities to gauge their preparedness for bigger rallies like Maruti Suzuki Raid-de-Himalaya, Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm and Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare. This is coupled with the objective of imbibing road discipline and promoting road safety amongst drivers," said Manohar Bhat, VP, Marketing, Maruti Suzuki.

Held over a 103-kilometer route in and around the New Delhi, the rally commenced from the Maruti Suzuki Head Office in Vasant Kunj. Crossing several city and upcountry roads including Mehrauli, Gurgaon, Damdama Lake, Sohna, it successfully concluded at the start venue.

The participants were provided a road book with instructions regarding directions, distance and time. The navigator had to keep calculating the time-based on speed and distance figures given in the road book, accordingly guiding the driver on the speed at which the car is to be driven. (Formula used is Time = Distance/Speed.) The task was to remain within average speed, follow traffic rules,and navigate the route correctly while strictly keeping to the prescribed time. Hidden check points added to the thrill and excitement as an attitude of sportsmanship and the determination to win were evident in the finale.

"The Maruti Suzuki Women Car Rally 2014 was very well-organised and a much appreciated event. It took us through remote areas of our home town giving us an entirely different flavour of the city, which was hitherto undiscovered by me. The route was tricky and unknown, though I enjoyed every moment of traversing through it. I look forward to more events like this as they encourage Indian women to be a part of motorsports," said Vaneeta Kumar, winner (driving the Maruti Suzuki Alto with co-driver Komal Soni).

Winners
Rank - Driver/Co-driver - Penalty - Vehicle
1st - Vaneeta Kumar/Komal Soni - 00:23:07 - Alto
2nd - Poonam Rana/Rihen Bhardwaj - 0:23:50 - Gypsy
3rd - Malika Bajaj/Dhruv Dhall - 00:25:16-Dzire

Posted in: Alto,Asia Pacific,Gurgaon,India,Manohar Bhat,Maruti Suzuki,Motor Sports,New Delhi,Rally