[rmonie]

Congratulations on the excellent win!! What an amazing feat. Great narration, was on the edge of my seat all through! Looking forward to more wins & the subsequent narrations in the future.

Please describe the customised device you have made & Sudev mentioned.

[oldmonk]

Originally Posted by rmonie

Congratulations on the excellent win!! What an amazing feat. Great narration, was on the edge of my seat all through! Looking forward to more wins & the subsequent narrations in the future.

Please describe the customised device you have made & Sudev mentioned.

Thank you!

TSDMeter is a 'rally calculator'. It has an app that can find out T(ime) given S(peed) and D(istance). Please watch the videos in TSDMeter | Facebook

[nanu28]

Originally Posted by oldmonk

Thank you Nanu28. Congrats on your GV purchase! My replies in bold..

Thank you.
Infact, I just collected her today
Really excited to see other GV's on the podium, instills a lot of faith in my decision, though I knew what I was looking for this just speaks volumes for the vehicle.
I hope to learn from you at the next DS, and along the way till then.
And will be going thru those skid plate thread and some others over and over.
Thanks a lot.

[oldmonk]

Originally Posted by nanu28

And will be going thru those skid plate thread and some others over and over.

Best to go the Samurai/Sudev way and make it locally. I bought mine online (RASTA4X4), and though the plates are great (every mechanic who has seen them raves about the fit and finish), cost is too much - at least 5x times..

[bharatbits]

Congratulations oldmonk on the win.

OT: Whats that red arrow sign on the front bumper of the GV, by the driver side fog lamp ?

[memo45_m]

Originally Posted by bharatbits

Congratulations oldmonk on the win.

OT: Whats that red arrow sign on the front bumper of the GV, by the driver side fog lamp ?

The Arrows on the front and the back bumper point to the location of the towing eye/point. to help/aid the recovery crew to quickly and easily identify the towing eye and get the car recovered.

[swiftnfurious]

CONGRATS & what a beautiful report! I am sure you inspire a lot of us to think about doing this at-least once in a life time, who otherwise will always shy away from this sports due to multiple reasons.

I have a bunch of questions, please bear with me.

1. Where can i follow the schedules for such rallies / events?

2. In case of any vehicle damages, are you allowed repairs during the rally [by external garages / A$$]?

3. How often do some one check the TSD values of race teams? Is there marshals en-route or you just need to manage to reach the destination on time?

4. M&M claims that it was first time a diesel car [XUV 500] participated in the DS rally. Is there any specific reasons for petrols to be preferred in the race?

5. Do 2WD vehicles stand a chance in this rally? What do you think the chances of a Scorpio 2WD has in this competition; reason to pick Scorpio is because, it's one of the most affordable SUVs in India.

6. Do the participants need extra physical fitness? What fitness programs do you follow normally? [A MUST-KNOW answer for Software Engineers who spent most of their time on a chair in front of monitors ]

Originally Posted by oldmonk

Even though we were approached by factory teams,

7. What are the benefits of factory teams? I guess these people approach you once you prove the merit in a season right? Difficult to get for first timers?

8. Anyway we could know your real name? I could associate you & this thread whenever I come across you name in future & hence asked. Please feel free to decline if you don't want to reveal!

Last but not the least, you are blessed with a lovely wife who shares your passion; the biggest plus point if you ask me. Hope you both keep winning many more races and share you joy & pride with us too!

[oldmonk]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

CONGRATS & what a beautiful report! I am sure you inspire a lot of us to think about doing this at-least once in a life time, who otherwise will always shy away from this sports due to multiple reasons.

Thank you! My answers in bold..

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

I have a bunch of questions, please bear with me.

1. Where can i follow the schedules for such rallies / events?
On Facebook for local events, rally web sites for the annual big ones (google Raid de Himalayala, Desert Storm, Dakshin Dare, Mughal Rally, SJOBA etc.). 'Mahindra Adventure' does TSD events once every 2-3 months for Mahindra vehicles. And an 'Indian National TSD Championship' is proposed to start from May - most rounds will be in South India.

Since you are in Bangalore, try and attend KMSC Round I on Mar 11 (Karnataka Motor Sports Club | Facebook) and TSI Racing Round I on Mar 18 (TSI "ON TIME EVERY TIME 2012" Round-1 | Facebook). Dakshin Dare (Dakshin Dare - Dakshindare) is from Apr 8 to 15.

You have to do local events to learn - don't attempt a big event without practice, it will just be a waste of time and money.

Also it helps to attend a formal training - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...-tsd-camp.html and https://www.facebook.com/groups/tsdrally/ (you need to be logged into FB).

2. In case of any vehicle damages, are you allowed repairs during the rally [by external garages / A$$]?
The longer rallies allow service crew and service time, so you can repair your cars then. If you have to fix your car in the middle of a rally, since it is on your own time, you can do it wherever. But when the rally happens in remote places (Raid/Storm), you don't have workshops on the route. But if one drives sensibly, very rarely will there be vehicle damages.

3. How often do some one check the TSD values of race teams? Is there marshals en-route or you just need to manage to reach the destination on time?
There are marshals/checkpoints on the route. They are undisclosed. They stand on the left side of the road with bright/hard-to-miss sign boards next to them. How often - is random. I have seen intervals between checkpoints range from 43s to 4 hours.

4. M&M claims that it was first time a diesel car [XUV 500] participated in the DS rally. Is there any specific reasons for petrols to be preferred in the race?
XUV participated in Extreme. Gypsys probably were the preferred vehicles because it is fastest/cheapest to fix. TSDs - it doesn't really matter which vehicle you use.

5. Do 2WD vehicles stand a chance in this rally? What do you think the chances of a Scorpio 2WD has in this competition; reason to pick Scorpio is because, it's one of the most affordable SUVs in India.
In the Extreme category, 2WD won't work. In TSD, there are separate categories for 4x4 ('Endure') and 4x2 ('Explore'). The routes followed by Endure and Explore are different. But this is a very Desert Storm specific thing. Other rallies have the same route for all vehicles. And since rally organizers wouldn't want the entire rally to get stuck because of the terrain, the route will be 4x2 friendly.

6. Do the participants need extra physical fitness? What fitness programs do you follow normally? [A MUST-KNOW answer for Software Engineers who spent most of their time on a chair in front of monitors ]
I am a software engineer who has all the vices (rallying being the biggest!) in the world. If I can do it, anyone can

7. What are the benefits of factory teams? I guess these people approach you once you prove the merit in a season right? Difficult to get for first timers?
Benefits - they give you a car, service support, travel/acco expenses and pay you professional fees. Why do they do it? So that when you win they can go around telling (TV/print/other ads) that their car conquered Himalayas/Desert etc.

Usually the factory teams are not managed directly by the company. They outsource their team to some reputed rallyist/ex-rallyist who then builds and manages the team. So to get into one, they need to notice you. To get noticed, you need to do local events and win. To find out who these people are (the guys who are in charge of the teams), attend local events and ask around.


8. Anyway we could know your real name? I could associate you & this thread whenever I come across you name in future & hence asked. Please feel free to decline if you don't want to reveal!
My name is Satish. LOL don't think you will come across names anywhere. There is hardly any media coverage of rallying, especially TSD.

Last but not the least, you are blessed with a lovely wife who shares your passion; the biggest plus point if you ask me. Hope you both keep winning many more races and share you joy & pride with us too!
Thank you!

[r0ckstar.1]

A big congrats to you, your navigator and the Car . It's quite an achievement and we are happy to be part of this forum where inspiring people like you keep us on the edge and give us the motivation that we too can do this. Some amazing facts that deserve a big pat on the back for you to have done this without the support from the vendors.

Cheers

[marsbhp]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

CONGRATS & what a beautiful report! I am sure you inspire a lot of us to think about doing this at-least once in a life time, who otherwise will always shy away from this sports due to multiple reasons.

5. Do 2WD vehicles stand a chance in this rally? What do you think the chances of a Scorpio 2WD has in this competition; reason to pick Scorpio is because, it's one of the most affordable SUVs in India.

As oldmonk mentioned, 2WD vehicles are also used, but in a different category from 4WD vehicles. For the DS challenge, the category is Xplore. I believe the Xplore category this year was won by a Tata Sumo Gold. See link below:
Tata Sumo Gold bags gold at Desert Storm 2012| Zigwheels.com

[oldmonk]

Originally Posted by r0ckstar.1

A big congrats to you, your navigator and the Car . It's quite an achievement and we are happy to be part of this forum where inspiring people like you keep us on the edge and give us the motivation that we too can do this. Some amazing facts that deserve a big pat on the back for you to have done this without the support from the vendors.

Cheers

Thank you rockstar!

Originally Posted by marsbhp

As oldmonk mentioned, 2WD vehicles are also used, but in a different category from 4WD vehicles. For the DS challenge, the category is Xplore. I believe the Xplore category this year was won by a Tata Sumo Gold. See link below:
Tata Sumo Gold bags gold at Desert Storm 2012| Zigwheels.com

Yep, they got 3rd too. The teams (both sponsored by Tata) were pretty good. Endure though, the Safaris and Xenon had bad luck. 2 were DNF, and one had car issues and gave up a lot penalties and finished in the middle of the pack.

Mahindra had 3 Scorpios in Endure. 1 DNF, 1 had issues and lost time, and another was overall 3rd.

The other factory sponsored entry, Maruti, had an SX4 that was 2nd (very commendable considering the toughness of this year's route) in Explore, and a Gypsy, 2nd in Endure. 1 Gypsy DNF'd, another Gypsy lost time with car issues, and a Grand Vitara ended in top 10.

[tush]

@oldmonk,

Thanks for sharing your experience. If I am not mistaken it is the same event that was broadcasted on timesnow channel today. I could not watch it due to other schedules. Just could see for a few minutes, where they were showing a white SX4 rallying through the desert.

Your attempt to capture the video is great. It actually feels somewhat like a real experience over a PC screen. Gave me a few insights on what rallying is all about. Kudos and congrats!

Have read about the off-road potential of GV but saw it in reality via your videos.

You, your navigator and the car is a wonderful team.

[aashishbc]

congratulations guys on a well deserved win...

[marsbhp]

Originally Posted by oldmonk

The other factory sponsored entry, Maruti, had an SX4 that was 2nd (very commendable considering the toughness of this year's route) in Explore, and a Gypsy, 2nd in Endure. 1 Gypsy DNF'd, another Gypsy lost time with car issues, and a Grand Vitara ended in top 10.

Wow, an SX4, and it finished 2nd. Good to hear that... shows how all round development makes its mark on regular day-to-day use vehicles.

[aniket.tiwari27]

Was there any Vento TDI? I plan to participate with my Vento TDI next year. Will start preparations.