16th edition of the much anticipated 2018 Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm was flagged off from The Great India Place Noida mall today amidst much fanfare.
In its 16th edition, the rally is set to explore new terrains, covering a total distance of 2300 kms. The rallyists will be navigating through Rajasthan’s picturesque landscape over a span of six days, traversing through Bikaner and finally concluding in Jaisalmer on March 23, to announce the champions. The highlight being the longest night leg covering a distance of 160 kms in Jaisalmer.
This year marks the highest participation of over 250 motorsport enthusiasts in the history of Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm. Participating across four categories – XTreme, NDure, Xplore and Moto, the rallyists will be challenging the terrains of Thar Desert with temperatures as high as 40°C. These extreme conditions will prove to be the ultimate test of vehicles and the mental and physical capabilities of the participants.
Announcing the 16th edition of Desert Storm, Mr. Sanjeev Handa, Vice President, Marketing, Maruti Suzuki India Limited said, “In order to connect with the youth of India, Maruti Suzuki keeps the thrill and adventure alive in participants and audience through pioneering motorsport rallies. Considered as the perfect blend of thrill, beauty and cars, Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm has been the most anticipated rally set in the dunes. Each year, we try and bring in more excitement and challenges to raise the bar higher. The longest night leg and 70% of new tracks in the overall rally route is our answer to ‘what’s new?’."
The rally will see 6 times champion Suresh Rana representing Team Maruti Suzuki Motorsport in the Xtreme category battling for the title again with over 50 tough competitors. Vitara Brezza and S Cross is also set to make its debut in the Xtreme category, CS Santosh, R Nataraj are betting big in the Moto category, along with another 48 bikers.
A strong women contingent is also a part of Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm with over 12 women participating across categories, with presence of renowned rallyists like Aishwarya Pissay, Shuchi Thakur over others.
The journey begins tomorrow with rally moving to Bikaner for Leg 1.
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