Hill Climb Challenge @ The Mughal Rally (Kashmir). June 2013

GTO · 18th June 2013, 15:54

Come June end, the hill climb challenge comes into play at The Mughal Rally in Kashmir.

An ice wall on the hill climb to Sinthan Pass

Hill Climb Challenge @ The Mughal Rally (Kashmir). June 2013-icewallsinthan.jpg

The 4th edition of the Mughal Rally in Kashmir is the first motorsport event in the country to be a hill climb battle. The two-day race begins on June 28 with over 150 competitors.

The hill climb race begins on the Indian motorsport circuit on two of the highest peaks in the country – Pir Ki Gali and Sinthan Pass. ‘Gali’, which commonly implies ‘street’ in Hindi, is used in the Gujjar dialect of Kashmir for ‘mountain pass’.

The event is slated on June 28 and 29, 2013. On June 27, the pre-event scrutiny will be held in Srinagar to ensure that all vehicles comply with stringent rallying and safety regulations.

On June 28, drivers will test their skills in the hill climb to Pir Ki Gali, the highest point on the Mughal Road, at an elevation of 11,500 feet (4,100 meters) approximately. The Mughal Road is the historic track used by Emperors Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan to traverse Kashmir to go to Lahore.

On June 29, the second hill climb battle will come into play when competitors race to Sinthan Pass, at an altitude of 12,450 feet (3748 meters). The Sinthan Pass is on National Highway 1B, connecting Kishtwar and Anantnag. Even during the height of summer, the hill climb up to Sinthan Pass is lined with walls of snow. It is open from April to September.

The architect of the hill climb race is Himalayan Motorsport, the Shimla-based motorsport club which has created the Raid De Himalaya.

The Mughal Rally started in 2010, when the Mughal Road was a quagmire of deep mud and rocks. It is now a smooth, double laned highway which will be formally opened by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on June 25.

“The format of the event has changed from a rally to a hill climb because of the way the track has changed,” said Vijay Parmar, President of Himalayan Motorsport. “Rallying is on dirt track, which we see in the Raid. With the road almost fully tarmac here, we now have a fantastic hill climb challenge”.

Himalayan Motorsport has seen average top speeds on this stretch go up from a mere 55 kmph in 2010 to almost 170 kmph in 2012. “We see this rally becoming one of the fastest hill climbs in the world. At around 30 kilometers each, the four hill climb stages on Peer Ki Gali and Sinthan Pass will require great skill" Parmar stated.

The Mughal Rally will race the 67 kilometer stretch of the Mughal Road in about 45 minutes.

The rally will be flagged off from the Royal Springs Golf Course by the J&K Tourism Minister Ghulam Ahmad Mir on June 28. It will proceed to Jammu over the Mughal Road for the night halt.

June 29 will see the rally return via the lesser known areas of Reasi, Salal, Gool to Ramban, and finally taken on the hill climb to Sinthan Pass, to end in Srinagar.

The Mughal Rally 2013 has 26 teams in the Xtreme (4X4) category, which is all about speed. The Enduro category, which runs on the Time-Speed-Distance (TSD) format, has 35 teams in the fray. Each team comprises a driver and navigator. In the Xtreme (Moto) category, there are 10 bikers competing this year.

manolin · 18th June 2013, 16:56

So this will be India's Pike Peak challenge :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-K1B4sTX4o

rkbharat · 18th June 2013, 18:22

nice.

BTW we did Kishtwar-Chingam-Sinthan Top-Daksum few days back.

Lots of snow but the snow walls are not that big. Road from Chingam to Sinthan Top is all broken and bruised, much worst that Zozila Pass.

From top till Anantang its a black smooth tar, I ripped my SX4 as if I am on BIC trek :P

It will be a test of metal and human between Chingam and Sinthan Top

18th June 2013, 15:54	#1
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,512 Thanked: 300,698 Times View My Garage	Hill Climb Challenge @ The Mughal Rally (Kashmir). June 2013 Come June end, the hill climb challenge comes into play at The Mughal Rally in Kashmir. An ice wall on the hill climb to Sinthan Pass The 4th edition of the Mughal Rally in Kashmir is the first motorsport event in the country to be a hill climb battle. The two-day race begins on June 28 with over 150 competitors. The hill climb race begins on the Indian motorsport circuit on two of the highest peaks in the country – Pir Ki Gali and Sinthan Pass. ‘Gali’, which commonly implies ‘street’ in Hindi, is used in the Gujjar dialect of Kashmir for ‘mountain pass’. The event is slated on June 28 and 29, 2013. On June 27, the pre-event scrutiny will be held in Srinagar to ensure that all vehicles comply with stringent rallying and safety regulations. On June 28, drivers will test their skills in the hill climb to Pir Ki Gali, the highest point on the Mughal Road, at an elevation of 11,500 feet (4,100 meters) approximately. The Mughal Road is the historic track used by Emperors Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan to traverse Kashmir to go to Lahore. On June 29, the second hill climb battle will come into play when competitors race to Sinthan Pass, at an altitude of 12,450 feet (3748 meters). The Sinthan Pass is on National Highway 1B, connecting Kishtwar and Anantnag. Even during the height of summer, the hill climb up to Sinthan Pass is lined with walls of snow. It is open from April to September. The architect of the hill climb race is Himalayan Motorsport, the Shimla-based motorsport club which has created the Raid De Himalaya. The Mughal Rally started in 2010, when the Mughal Road was a quagmire of deep mud and rocks. It is now a smooth, double laned highway which will be formally opened by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on June 25. “The format of the event has changed from a rally to a hill climb because of the way the track has changed,” said Vijay Parmar, President of Himalayan Motorsport. “Rallying is on dirt track, which we see in the Raid. With the road almost fully tarmac here, we now have a fantastic hill climb challenge”. Himalayan Motorsport has seen average top speeds on this stretch go up from a mere 55 kmph in 2010 to almost 170 kmph in 2012. “We see this rally becoming one of the fastest hill climbs in the world. At around 30 kilometers each, the four hill climb stages on Peer Ki Gali and Sinthan Pass will require great skill" Parmar stated. The Mughal Rally will race the 67 kilometer stretch of the Mughal Road in about 45 minutes. The rally will be flagged off from the Royal Springs Golf Course by the J&K Tourism Minister Ghulam Ahmad Mir on June 28. It will proceed to Jammu over the Mughal Road for the night halt. June 29 will see the rally return via the lesser known areas of Reasi, Salal, Gool to Ramban, and finally taken on the hill climb to Sinthan Pass, to end in Srinagar. The Mughal Rally 2013 has 26 teams in the Xtreme (4X4) category, which is all about speed. The Enduro category, which runs on the Time-Speed-Distance (TSD) format, has 35 teams in the fray. Each team comprises a driver and navigator. In the Xtreme (Moto) category, there are 10 bikers competing this year.
	(4) Thanks

18th June 2013, 18:22	#3
rkbharat Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Gurgaon/New Delhi Posts: 1,601 Thanked: 724 Times View My Garage	Re: Hill Climb Challenge @ The Mughal Rally (Kashmir). June 2013 nice. BTW we did Kishtwar-Chingam-Sinthan Top-Daksum few days back. Lots of snow but the snow walls are not that big. Road from Chingam to Sinthan Top is all broken and bruised, much worst that Zozila Pass. From top till Anantang its a black smooth tar, I ripped my SX4 as if I am on BIC trek :P It will be a test of metal and human between Chingam and Sinthan Top
	(1) Thanks