Karnataka trio clinch top honours at the Raid de Himalaya

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Bengaluru, October 17: The Raid De Himalaya rally has always been considered as one of the toughest motorsports event in the country. And three TVS riders, hailing from Karnataka walked away with the spoils, mastering the treacherous terrain en route to their victory. Mysuru’s Abdul Wahid Tanveer, Shimoga’s Rajendra RE and Bengaluru’s Aishwarya Pissay laid their hands on the spoils and TVS continued its winning spree.

Come hail, storm or crashes nothing got these trio off-route as they kept their eye on the trophy. And that’s all that matters.

The six-day rally put both the riders and their machines to the test. The rally which is in its 19th edition was spread across 1100 kms with the altitude variations putting the riders through the ultimate test. The riders had to negotiate through the world’s highest mountain passes Shingo la (5081m), Baralach la (4890m), Taglang la (5328m), and Kardung la (5369m).

Not only were the riders tested but so were the service team members. In -15°C temperatures the service team kept the bikes in perfect condition to make the task achievable for the riders.

Tanveer romped up a first place finish in the Group A category, while his team-mate R Nataraj finished 2nd. In the Group B category Rajendra RE secured a first place finish followed by Imran Pasha in second.

One could say Aishwarya stole the show, as she was the only woman rider competing for the team at the rally. Aishwarya, who has been in prime form this year won the Ladies Class and secured an overall fourth finish in the Group B category. An achievement which will raise eyebrows all around.

26-year-old Tanveer, who won the Dakar Challenger earlier this year, and also notched up the Raid de Himalaya trophy for two consecutive years opened up about the tough conditions faced by the riders.

“The Himalaya rally was extremely difficult, starting from the weather, to the terrain and the navigation. The first day was easy, but the third day was the toughest as I couldn’t breathe properly due to the extremely cold weather and that too we had an early start. Navigating was also tough. But following that I got my lead and held onto it till the end. The service guys really did an excellent job keeping our bikes up to the mark,” said Tanveer , who finished 2nd in the Desert Storm this year.

Seconding Tanveer’s statement, 24-year-old Rajendra, also said the third day was the most challenging for the riders. “It was a tough but exciting race. This was the second time I was participating and it was a good experience. I got off to a good 5-6 minute lead on the opening day and that helped.

“The third day was difficult considering the weather conditions. But overall it was great and I really enjoyed myself,” said the reigning INRC champion.

Meanwhile, 22-year-old Aishwarya, who had not been able to finish the race in the previous edition as she had had to retire after the first day, was a very happy rider at the end of this year’s edition. “It has been a wonderful experience and it felt great competing with the boys. For me finishing Day 1 within the given time limit was an accomplishment. Day three was the toughest with altitude sickness setting in and it being the coldest day. Even Day four was tough and challenging. Both on the fourth and fifth day I crashed and lost a bit of time and had to shift the gear with my hand at one point. But overall it was a wonderful experience and I am glad I finished it on time,” said the smiling Bengaluru rider.

Meanwhile, commenting on the victory, B Selvaraj, the team manager said, “I am exhilarated with the performance of the team at the event. Our preparations and training helped us dominate the rally as our team was over an hour ahead of the nearest competition. The Raid rally has immense learnings not just for the riders but also the support crew team, who played a crucial role in these victories.”