The 2017 Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare concluded in Pune yesterday. The defending champions, Suresh Rana and Ashwin Naik, triumphed for two year in a row winning the Ultimate Cars category by a margin of three seconds. The Endurance category was won by duo Subir Roy and Nirav Mehta.
The battle was fought until the last leg against runner-up Samrat Yadav and S N Nizami who finished second in the Ultimate category. Rana admitted he had to push himself beyond his limits to maintain his lead on the Gypsy driven by Samrat which was right at their tail throughout the race. Settling at the third position was the duo, Sandeep Sharma and Karan Arya. The Endurance (TSD) witnessed Karthick Maruthi and Sankar S Anand closing in at second followed by Raghu Nandan & Prakash M in the third place.
Suresh Rana, speaking on their consecutive triumph, asserted, “This is our second consecutive win at Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare. With a new route this year, it was important to always keep your mind synced with the vehicle. The competition was tough with newer participants entering Dakshin Dare.”
The biggest annual southern motorsport rally pulled off its ninth edition this year as it ventured to the north-west, entering the state of Maharashtra for the first time. The 2017 edition of Dakshin Dare spanned over six days with over 180 participants enthusiastically slugging it out over 2000 kilometres. Flagged off in Bengaluru, the Dakshin Dare rally witnessed the participants traverse through the terrains of Chitradurga before hitting the treacherous track in Belgaum. The rally hit the state of Maharashtra where it was welcomed by horrendous weather in Kolhapur. After this, the stage moved to the outskirts of Pune city for the final leg where the western ghats of Bhor and Pasure welcomed the participants with scenic hills and pleasing weather.
There were two Super Special Stages as well which were also held this year thanks to its successful last year when it was first introduced. The Super Special Stage bought all the action and deep roar of race cars closer to the spectators who turned up in big numbers to see the machines whiz past them. There was considerable enthusiasm and cheering from the bystanders, proving that the organiser’s decision to introduce the SSS was a successful one.
Commenting on the successful culmination of the ninth edition of Dakshin Dare, Tarun Garg, executive vice president, marketing, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., said, “Over the last nine years, Dakshin Dare has grown tremendously and been able to gain a strong foothold in the motorsports community in South India. The increasing number of participants from across the country along with the longest rally route is testimonial to the claims. The large participation is indicative of our reach and influencing a larger audience through varied locations added to the rally each year.”
