Uttarakhand Woos Tourists with its Adventure Car Rally

Uttarakhand is back in the tourism sphere wooing tourists to its visitor’s hot-spots and adventure route. The state is bringing motorsport back on its tourism calendar and making every possible effort to revamp all that was lost in the flash floods.

In the second half of December, the state government is all set to host the Uttarakhand Adventure Car Rally. About 70 partcipants from all parts of the country will go across about 1,000 kms in the mountain state as part of the rally. The purpose of the rally is to spread the message nationally and internationally that life is throbbing in the mountain state again, the roads are good, and holiday fun is calling.

The Uttarakhand Adventure Car Rally will have 35 teams driving cars and SUVs. Each team will comprise a driver and a navigator. In order to ensure that there are no traffic disruptions, Uttarakhand Adventure Car Rally will follow the Time- Speed-Distance (TSD) format. This is the sober form of motorsport that allows competitors to go slow in populous areas, and stick to specified speed limits at all times.

The Uttarakhand Adventure Car Rally will touch some of the most beautiful tourist hotspots of the state. It will begin from Dehradun on December 22 and move via Dev Prayag, Karan Prayag, Rudra Prayag and Nand Prayag to the ski resort at Auli. With newly-laid out, smooth roads, the picturesque drive leads to the celebrated snow-tops, a delight for skiers and sight-seeing. On the way is Shivpuri, which draws huge domestic and foreign tourism for white water rafting.

On Day Two, the rally will come down from Auli to Ramnagar, which flanks the Jim Corbett National Wildlife Park, again a tourist hotspot. On Day Three, the rally will end at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie.

Uttarakhand Secretary Tourism UK Panwar said that the rally marks the resurgence of tourism in the state. “Uttarakhand has world-class holiday destinations for families and youth alike. The roads are good again, and we invite all tourists to enjoy the unique holiday experience here,” he said. The rally is being organized by the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board.

The Uttarakhand Adventure Car Rally brings the mountain state on the motorsport calendar of the country after 23 years. The internationally-popular Himalayan Rally was the last motorsport event on these winding mountain roads. Uttarakhand Adventure Car Rally adds to the state’s adventure tourism calendar, along with skiing, mountaineering, white water rafting and mesmerizing encounters in the wildlife parks.

Uttarakhand Adventure Car Rally is being organized by Himalayan Motorsport. This is the premier Shimla-based motorsport club which organizes the Raid De Himalaya, one of the top-ten toughest rallies of the world. Uttarakhand Adventure Car Rally is being supported by Maruti Suzuki and JK Tyres.

Vijay Parmar, the president of Himalayan Motorsport, said that after the hugely popular Himalayan Rally, motorsport is being re-started in Uttarakhand on a small scale. “Motorsport has great potential to grow in Uttarakhand, and will showcase its excellent tourism destinations nationally and internationally. The state has a super network of roads, and more roads are being constructed in highly picturesque locales. In 2014, the Uttarakhand Rally may become the premium round of the Indian National Rally Championship (TSD format),” he said.