Team-BHP - Event Report: The Palar Challenge, 2013

Hi Guys,

On behalf of the Terra Tigers, we would like to thank all the participants and sponsors without who The Palar Challenge 2013 would not have been the success that it was. This year's edition was truly a national event with teams being represented from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Punjab! From very humble beginnings with just 3 teams in 2008, The Palar Challenge has come to its own with 26 different teams from different parts of the country.

There were a number of firsts in this edition of TPC. Beginning with the first time ever that we saw almost non-stop rain to the fact that the competition was won by a team competing at TPC for the first time, the wide range of terrain sure made for quite the challenge for all teams participating. There was a mixture of hard sand, soft sand, clay, slush, rocks, climbs and drops which made for quite the spectacle this year. With a mixture of near stock vehicles to completely competition prepped vehicles, it was also quite the sight for the participants and spectators alike!

Special thanks goes out to the teams who participated from outside the region. Beginning with Team Gerrari who fielded 2 teams and had their vehicles trucked in all the way from Chandigarh (and with their we can do attitude) to Team Coorg who's relaxed and laid back style, it was truly a joy to see such diverse driving styles. We also cannot forget the team from Pune, the Pathfinders, the BODA boys from Bangalore, and the Hyderabad Jeepers who put their heart and soul into the event. Despite several mechanical setbacks in the 3 days, they fixed their vehicles in the rain and darkness and still trucked on without losing their focus one bit. The same holds true for the boys from KTM Jeepers who we are sure would have been in contention for top honors hadn't it been for some minor mishaps along the way. We also had the event’s only Lady Driver, Ms. Smitha Prasad who braved it all for 3 days and made it to the finish line. The list would be incomplete without the inclusion of legendary Rally Driver Mr. Jagat Nanjappa who was competing as part of the second Coorg team. It was truly an honor to watch a legend compete in the event. And finally to the local boys, Triveni for completing the entire event without a single breakdown. That in itself is something to be proud of. Palar is known to demand a sacrifice every time you set out and it was no different this time either. As marshals, even we have faced several mechanical breakdowns during our recces.

The Palar Challenge is truly a test of man and machine and once again it is our sincere thanks to all the competitors that participated this year. There were several lessons learned by the organizing committee. Despite having some amazing Special Stages designed, we do realize some of you may have felt dissatisfied with the accommodations provided. This is primarily owing to the fact that we only expected about 120 participants to show up but instead the actual number was over 180! This is something we would definitely take back home and ensure it is addressed in the next installment of the event.

We sincerely hope everyone involved felt challenged by the event and most importantly enjoyed it as much as we did. We also hope to see you all back next year at TPC 2014, with even more competitors from all over the country.

Thank You,

Arka & Ranjith Balakrishnan

PS - Detailed Results will follow.

Winner of TPC2013 Team 3-3 from Coorg – 3 BRITPART winches presented by SARA EXTREME 4x4

Overall Second and First amongst the First Timers – Team 5-1 from Gerrari Off-Roaders. 3 – Garuda Winches Presented by TRIVENI MOTORSPORTS

Overall Third - Team 2-2 Triveni Motorsports

Winner of SARA EXTREME 4x4 – A HARD DAY – Team 3-3 from Coorg

IGNITE - Winner of Technical Events – Team 2-2 from Triveni Motorsports.

Most Performing 4wd – Gagan Sachdeva MG413W (Team 5-1 Gerrari Off-Roaders)
2nd Most Performing 4wd – Sachin Verma MONSTER MG413W (Team 5-1 Gerrari Off-Roaders)
3rd Most Performing 4wd – Michu Ganapathy MM540DP (Team 3-3 Coorg)

Green Team Award – Team 7-4 Coorg

Individual Special Stage Competition
1) Nikhil Jaipal – Thar CRDe - KTM Jeepers

2) Vimal – CL550MDI - TNOR

3) Siddu – MG413W - BODA

Regards,

Arka