The second round of the Maruti Suzuki National Super League TSD Rally Championship which is more commonly known as the Deccan Rally ends. Karthik Maruthi with co-driver S Sankar Anand wins for the second consecutive time.
The round two of Maruti Suzuki National Super League TSD Rally Championship came to an end in Goa on 16th May 2016 with Karthik Maruthi and his co-driver S Sankar Anand winning the title for the second consecutive time in the Maruti Vitara Brezza. The Deccan Rally that started from Pune to cover a total of 700 kms distance to reach Goa was a 3-day competition on the basis of Time, Speed and Distance (TSD) format. With 35 total teams including 5 all-women teams and 11 total women participants, Maruti Suzuki pushes the spirit of motorsports even further, giving automotive enthusiasts of all ages an opportunity to shine.
The Deccan Rally was the second round of Maruti Suzuki National Super League TSD Rally Championship consisting of a 700 kms 3-day drive from Pune to Goa via Ratnagiri. The participants had to follow a Time Speed Distance format with multiple checkpoints while on the way to the destination. The competition tests out the capabilities of both the driver as well as the co-driver wherein one is responsible for navigating and calculating speeds and the other to follow those accurately with his/her driving skills. The 4-wheeler category is further split into groups- Non-Championship (Expert, Amateur) and Denizen (Expert, Amateur).
The rally started from The Gateway Hotel, Pune on 13th May 2016 with a flag-off of a total of 35 teams followed by a driving test to set the start order on basis of the least penalties. Leg 1 consisted of Pune to Ratnagiri drive of nearly 300 kms through highways, off-roads, villages and what not. Maruti Suzuki ensured proper safety measures with strict rules and regulations, which were followed by the drivers. Karthik Maruthi with his co-driver S Sankar Anand were the first to start early morning in the Vitara Brezza from Pune. There was a gap of two minutes between each driver’s start.
The route in Maruti Suzuki National Super League TSD Rally Championship consisted of all types of terrain to be covered by the drivers. The championship was open for participants having any car and it was not manufacturer-based, resulting which we could witness cars ranging from a Maruti Suzuki Zen to a Volvo XC90 and almost everything between these two. Though, the format is such that power isn’t really something that matters in the competition but the skill does. The second leg ended at Mango Village Resort in Guhagar in the evening on 14th May 2016 with Karthik Maruthi leading, followed by Sachin Singh and Sandeep Dodhiwala respectively.
The second leg of the Maruti Suzuki National Super League TSD Rally Championship started the next day from Guhagar to Goa covering a total distance of approximately 400 kms. The route mostly consisted of zipping through narrow broken roads on the outskirts of villages that were every bit of adventurous and beautiful as the cars cruised along the coastal line. There were moments when the cars rushed through broken roads leaving behind all the dust in the air and then there was a time when they cruised at 20-30 km/hr. The real challenge was to manage to stay on the route as well as to follow time boundary.
The Leg 2 of the Deccan rally ended in Candolim, Goa, marking the end of round 2 of the Maruti Suzuki National Super League TSD Rally Championship. Team Maruti won the National Super League Championship. The final winner of all 6 rounds of the Maruti Suzuki National Super League TSD Rally Championship gets a brand new Maruti Vitara Brezza. The company has already started preparing for the third round known as the Backwaters Rally. Maruti Suzuki brings a new and safe level of motorsports to India where all enthusiasts can participate and get out the inner adventurer in them.
Maruti Suzuki Deccan Rally Final Results:
1. Karthik Maruthi with co-driver S Sankar Anand (Team Maruti) – Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza – Total Penalty: 15 min 6 seconds
2. Sachin Singh with co-driver Prakash M (Team Maruti) – Maruti Suzuki Swift – Total Penalty: 15 min 19 seconds
3. Ajgar Ali with co-driver M Musthafa (Team Maruti) – Maruti Suzuki S-Cross – Total Penalty: 15 min 52 seconds
