700 Kilometres, 35 Teams, 4 Days, 1 Kick-Ass Rally

At the end of 700 kilometres of unadulterated motor sporting adventure, and leading the championship table for all four days of this TSD (Time, Speed, Distance) rally, the team of Anubhab De and Chandan Sen were crowned champion in the National Class of the Himalayan Drive 3 held from January 29 to February 1, 2015 in the northern regions of West Bengal. The duo of Biswanath Kundu and Sabat Ullah Khan emerged victorious in the Open Class while the pair of Saurav Chatterjee and Ashok Bhattacharya triumphed in the Open-OE Class.

The Himalayan Drive 3 was organised by Kolkata-based Just Sportz Management Pvt. Ltd. with the joint support of JK Tyre, West Bengal Tourism, GTA and in association of autojunction.in. This four leg TSD rally was flagged off from Uttarayan (City Centre) in Siliguri and culminated at the same venue four days later. The 700 kilometres long rally traversed through the beautiful lush green landscapes of West Bengal including tea gardens, forests of exotic flora and fauna, river beds, gravels, dirt tracks and hilly terrains. 35 teams from different parts of the country turned up in full glory with rally prepared Maruti Esteem, Maruti Gypsy, Mahindra Thar, Mitsubishi Cedia, Maruti Swift, Mahindra Bolero among other makes and models to take a shot at the title in arguably eastern India’s biggest TSD car rally which tested the toughness and determination of both man and machine. 

Hari Singh, Head – Motor Sport Operations, JK Tyre & Industries Limited said, “We are delighted to be associated with the Himalayan Drive 3, which is a unique endeavour in this part of India. Over the last few years, Himalayan Drive has emerged as an important milestone in the promotion of motorsport in the North Bengal region. Thanks to Himalayan Drive, motor sport enthusiasts can look forward to a grand feast of thrilling action and adventure each year in North Bengal, which promises some challenging terrain and breathtaking beauty, all in the beautiful backdrop of the mighty Eastern Himalayas.”

Leg 1 of the Himalayan Drive 3 took the competitors from Siliguri to Darjeeling. After the cars were flagged off from Uttarayan (City Centre) in Siliguri the competitors went through Bagdogra, Bihar More, Azmabad Tea Estate, Naxalbari, Rokam Jote More, Mechi River (Indo-Nepal Border), Manjha Tea Estate, Panighata, Dudhia, Mirik Bypass, Jorpokhuri, Sukiapokhuri and Ghoom to finally culminate at the breath taking Gorkha Rang Manch in the heart of Darjeeling.

Leg 2 of the Himalayan Drive 3 started Darjeeling to end at Murti. The cars started this leg from Gorkha Rang Manch and traversed through Ghoom, Jore Bunglow, Lamahatta, Lopchu, Tinchulay, Takdah, Rangli Rangliot, Sevoke Road, Reang, Kalijhora, Coronation Bridge, Mongpong, Ranicherra Tea Estate, Volka Alipurduar Road, Gorubathan, Samsing, Kumani, Khunia, Chapramari, Upper Tendu Forest to finally end the day at the beautiful Murti Tourist Lodge.

Leg 3 from flagged off from the Murti Tourist Lodge and the competitors drove through the Upper Tendu Forest, Bannarhat,  Binnaguri, Birpara, Madarihat, Khairbari Jungle, Hasimara, Khokla Ssb Camp, Central Dooars Tea Estate, Rangamati Tea Estate, Radharani Tea Estate, Chuapara Tea Estate, Kalchini, Rajabhatkhawa, Alipurduar, Falakata, Coochbehar Palace, Dhupguri, Mainaguri, and the Upper Tendu Forest before retuning back to Murti Tourist Lodge for the night halt.

The 4th and final leg of the Himalayan Drive 3 took the participants from Murti to Siliguri. Leg 4 started from the Murti Tourist Lodge and went through the Upper Tendu Forest, Chalsa More, Mal Bazar, Damdim, Odlabari, Apalchand Forest, Gajoldoba Canal Road, Gajoldoba Road, Sahudangi Ashram, Eastern Bypass Road and Sevoke Road to finally culminate at Uttarayan.

Tamal Ghosal, Director of Just Sportz Mangement Pvt. Ltd. said, “The Eastern Himalayas has great potential for adventure sports and a TSD rally is an important step to unleash the great potential of motor sport in the region. With the able support of JK Tyre, West Bengal Tourism and GTA we hope to create an iconic cross country motor sporting event which will rival the best in the world.”

There was an era when Bengal was the cradle of motor sporting action with the Calcutta Motor Sports Club leading the charge. The likes of Kinny Lall, Mike Satow, Dicky Richards and Dr. Rossi have triumphed in innumerable races and rallies across the country and have brought glory to Calcutta and Bengal at large. Over the past decades, the sheen was lost with lack of quality events, and southern and northern India took the mantle of being frontrunner in organizing motor sport events. But with Just Sportz leading the fight back with milestone cross-country events like the Himalayan Drive, I’m confident that Bengal will soon get to where it belonged – right at the top.   

Results - Himalayan Drive 3

National Class

First - Anubhab De and Chandan Sen – 265 penalty points

Second - Jogendra Jaiswal and Prasenjit Roy – 386 penalty points

Third - Subir Roy and Nirav Mehta – 423 penalty points

Fourth - Sk Ajgar Ali and Mohammed Mustafa – 433 penalty points

Fifth - Sudip Ghosh and Arindam Ghosh – 493 penalty points

Open Class

First - Biswanath Kundu and Sabat Ullah Khan – 499 penalty points

Second - Samrat Banerjee and Shubhranshu Hazra – 686 penalty points

Third - Arvind Ganeriwala and Rajkumar Mundra – 889 penalty points

Open-OE

First - Saurav Chatterjee and Ashok Bhattacharya – 726 penalty points

Second - Lakhsman Das and Punyabrata Barma – 5469 penalty points

Third - Md Ashique and Rohit Agarwal – 6056 penalty points