Desert Storm preview: Santosh and Rana headline 2018 event
The 2018 edition of Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm will get underway today in Bikaner, Rajasthan and there are plenty of heavyweights in both Xtreme and Moto categories.
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Maruti Suzuki
One of the three cross-country rallies in India alongside the Raid de Himalaya and the Dakshin Dare, the Desert Storm provides unique challenges in terms of soaring temperatures, navigational difficulties and sandy terrain.
Then there’s the adding difficulty of two night stages, the second of which is due to take place on Thursday and only a few hours after the completion of the previous leg.
In all, the rally comprises of six legs spread over five days, with the winners to be declared on Friday in Jaisalmer.
Bikaner and Jaisalmer will serve as the two bases for competitors and officials, with the entire rally taking places around the two Rajasthan towns.
The rally officially began yesterday with a ceremonial flag-off in Noida.
Santosh and Rana to headline 2018 event
As always, the Desert Storm is divided into four categories, namely Moto, Xtreme, Ndure and Xplore. With Ndure and Xpore categories run on TSD format, Moto (for bikes) and Xtreme (for cars) drive the most attention.
The Moto class is of particular interest, thanks in part to participation of India’s only Dakar finisher, CS Santosh. The Bangalore-based rider will be seen in action on Hero’s updated 450RR Dakar-spec bike and will be favourite for the Moto crown.
He will face stiff competition from the TVS stable, led by Spain’s Lorenzo Santolino. Raid de Himalaya winner Abdul Wahid Tanveer and R Nataraj are also part of TVS’ expansive six-rider line-up.
Aishwarya Pissay, who has impressed in both racing and rallying, will be one of the several female riders to take to the starting line later today.
Over in the Xtreme category, it’s hard to look beyond 10-time Raid de Himalaya winner and factory Maruti Suzuki driver Suresh Rana, who has been on a winning streak stretching back to the 2016 Desert Storm.
Sandeep Sharma and last year’s Dakshin Dare star Samrat Yadav, both part of Maruti Suzuki’s team, could also be fighting for top honours in the Xtreme category.
Apart from the above trio, several privateers will take part in the event, mostly in the Maruti Gypsy that has become the ubiquitous car in the Indian rallying scene.
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