Rally
Here is a list of some of the top single-event and rally series championships which are currently being conducted for rally enthusiasts in India.
Rallying has had a strong niche following in India for many decades.
There have been several championships which have been regularly conducted across the country in different formats.
Below is a list of some of the most popular rally championships which are actively conducted in India. (This list is not a ranking)
1. Indian National Rally Championship
- Location: Multiple locations across India
- Format: Special stage-based rally series
- Categories: INRC, INRC2, INRC3, JINRC, INRC4, INRC NR4, FMSCI SUV Challenge
- Terrain: Hilly regions, tarmac, coffee plantations, river beds, fesh fesh, desert
- Notable winners: Gaurav Gill, Naren Kumar, N Leelakrishnan, Hari Singh
The roots of rallying in India go back to 1970 when a Monte-Carlo-style rally named All India Highway Motor Rally was conducted over 7,000 km. It was an FIA-approved rally in which all 121 motorsports clubs in India at the team participated. It began in Chennai, went through Calcutta, Delhi and Mumbai, and culminated in Nagpur. Inspired by this event, the K1000 began in 1975, followed by other regional rallies like South India Rally in Chennai, Popular Rally in Kerala, Scissors Action Rally in Coimbatore and Charminar Rally in Hyderabad. Most events were conducted as Time-Speed-Distance formats but they were consolidated under the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) when it was given national status by the federation in 1988 as a Special Stage rally series.
2. Desert Storm
- Location: Bikaner-Jodhpur-Jaisalmer
- Format: Special Stage and Time-Speed-Distance
- Categories: XTreme, NDure, XPlore and Moto
- Terrain: Desert, soft sand, dunes, village roads (dhanis)
- Notable winners: Sandeep Sharma, Sunny Sidhu, Suresh Rana, CS Santosh, KP Arvind, Harith Noah
Desert Storm is one of the toughest cross-country rally events in India. In 2003, the organizers Northern Motorsport mapped the undulating dunes of Thar Desert in Rajasthan to give competitors this rally that challenges their navigational skills amidst the picturesque untouched desert. The rally takes participants over 2,000km of tough dunes and desert terrain over a period of seven days. The XTreme category is open to 4x4 rally-prepared vehicles and the same track is used for the Moto two-wheeler category. The categories Xplore (2w drive) and Ndure (4w drive) are run on a TSD format.
3. Dakshin Dare
- Location: Across South India, mainly Karnataka
- Format: Special Stage and Time-Speed-Distance
- Categories: Ultimate cars, Ultimate bikes, Endurance cars
- Terrain: Slush, gravel and tarmac
- Notable winners: Gaurav Gill, Suresh Rana, KP Aravind, R Nataraj
Dakshin Dare is the only cross country rally in South India. It started as just a TSD event for cars in 2009. But from the second year, the categories of Extreme cars and Extreme bikes were also added to the event. The rally runs through major cities in South India, and sometimes crosses into Maharashtra and Goa. It features a mix of terrain which challenges participants over 2,000 km in an event that lasts anywhere between five and seven gruelling days.
4. Ultimate Desert Challenge
- Location: Bikaner
- Format: Closed-circuit rally
- Categories: UDC Off-road and UDC X-cross
- Terrain: Wild desert tracks, soft sand
- Notable winners: Narayan Balan, Kabir Waraich
The Ultimate Desert Challenge (UDC) is a high-endurance desert off-roading competition which was organised by Dune Adventure Sports Club for the first time in 2014. It has been a regular event running in Bikaner, Rajasthan, and completed its sixth edition in 2021. UDC Off-road has a dozen off-road stages through day and night over three days. UDC X-cross is a closed-circuit rally of consecutive laps for 150 kms. UDC Off Road has six classes – C1 for Polaris or similar special purpose vehicles; C2 for Gypsy class (Stock); C3 for modified Gypsies; C4 for Mahindra Class (Stock) vehicles; C5 for SUVs less than 2800cc; C6 for Super SUVs more than 2800cc or any modified SUV vehicle. UDC X-Cross has four classes – for Polaris or similar special purpose vehicles; C2 for Gypsy class (Stock); C3 for modified Gypsies; X4 for SUV Class.
5. Rainforest Challenge
- Location: Goa
- Format: Special Stages with extreme challenges
- Categories: 4x4 adventure
- Terrain: Rocky, forest paths, river crossing, hilly paths, slushy muck
- Notable winners: Jagat Nanjappa
Rainforest Challenge (RFC) was launched in India in August 2014 as a one-week off-road rally in the thick forests and quarries of Goa. The event has 30 special stages or extreme challenges that the participants have to conquer in six days. It is an international event that was started in Malaysia in 1997. It currently runs in seven countries with the winners of each country competing in the international rally in Malaysia.
It is a hardcore four-wheel off-road event on rugged and unforgiving terrain during monsoons. “The participants drive across a terrain that is not motorable otherwise and navigate tough situations,” says Ashish Gupta, founder of Cougar Motorsport and organizer of RFC.
This event is less about doing fast stage times and more about preserving the vehicle and technique in navigating hurdles. The stages are physically and mentally exhausting as obstacles range from climbing up stone walls and vertical trails in pitch dark to wading through deep water pits.
6. Royal Rajasthan Rally
- Location: Jaipur
- Format: Time Speed Distance
- Categories: Adventure (two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive) and Extreme (four-wheel drive SUVs)
- Terrain: Hilly regions, tarmac, dry river beds and tough desert sands
- Notable winners: Varun Jolly, Deepak Sachdeva, Vinod Singh, Devendra Singh, Amit Kuchhal
The Royal Rajasthan Rally completed a successful ninth edition in April 2021. The rally runs in a Time-Speed-Distance format and has challenged participants for anywhere between 600km and 1,000km over three days. It is considered a complete endurance event since it runs over a range of terrain, and it is thought to be one of the best starting competitions in a new rally driver. Each participant is given a rally route book and GPS way points at the start of the rally; their progress is checked at undisclosed time control points along the rally route. The challenge for drivers is not to go too fast but to take on unforgiving sand and stubborn terrain.
