[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Some more information on the 1987 Himalayan Rally which I missed out:

The Lada cars - there were 2 LADA cars, one of which was driven by Farad Bhathena. These cars were very similar to our 118NE, the major difference being the rear suspension, where the shock absorbers were mounted outside the coil springs instead of concentric which was the setup in the 118NE. This gave fantastic stability to the cars. The engines were of course different. One of these cars was running second overall and it was a delight to watch and hear the glorious engine note. If I remember correctly, he finished second overall. Farad was running fourth overall at one point.

What I got during the prize distribution function - I got 2 plastic mesh type covers for my Hella Rallye 2000 driving lights from one of the foreigners who I had helped on the rally. I hesitantly requested him if I could keep the covers as they were not available anywhere and I was willing to pay for them. He very promptly just gave them to me saying "thanks Behram for all your help on the rally". I still have the covers with me in my cupboard (treasures for sure !).

1987 to 2008 - 21 years - whew ! I would still love to take part. It's a feeling beyond expression.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[1100D]

Was there a later edition held, because I remember the Toyota Celica participating later on. When could that be?

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

The Toyota Celica participated in one of the Himalayan Rallies, I don't know which year. The car was MAS 8, owned by Dr.Bomsi Wadia, a very well known and respected gynaecologist from Mumbai and a very reputed rally personality.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[rallystar]

I think what 1100D means are the Toyota Celicas from Germany driven by the Uhls , who won the rally out right.
cheers

[Cyrus43]

Dr.Bomsi Wadia now owns a SL500 but i remember my dad telling me that he had this celica and about his himalyan rally days..

[sudev]

A remembrance from past for this thread....

All I can fill in for the 1988 Himalayan is that I participated for the first time in a M800. The best recall is for the run between Ranikhet and Lansdowne. The lead cars were flagged off from the re-group control at Ranikhet but they ran back after some twenty kilometers from Bhatronjsain, just before the start of competitive. Actually while the lead cars were waiting for entry to competitive the crowd as it surged towards them to have a "dekho" at the lead car driven by Shinozuka, Flory etc. Somehow they thought it was a mob and turned on their tails and ran back.

By the time we were started off it was almost sundown and had got barely couple of kilometers from Ranikhet when we saw the leaders running back and waving us back too. So as a result all returned back to Ranikhet. Were chaos ruled for a time. This was the time of long distance radio communications and to get Delhi, where Nazir Hoosein was, from Ranikhet they had to bounce signals off from some one relaying from Cochin!! Such was communications systems at that time. Ultimately all were asked to sign a bulletin asking us to do a "free run" to Landsdowne.

There were two possibilities here. One was to take the alternate route from Ranikhet to Mohan to Landsdowne. Other was to go through the stages. The former was longer (80~100 kilometers if I remember correctly) but almost all competitors choose that route. I choose to go through the stages as we were short on fuel and our service was to meet us much short of Landsdowne, after end of a competitive, with fuel.

We went through while informing many officials on the way about sections getting canceled. Hats off to them to be waiting in middle of night for competitors to show up. Since were running the shorter route through the night we were first in getting to Landsdowne. As we approached the high profile team Mitsubishi service station we were dazzled with bright lights that were switched on. They were obviously expecting their car to be coming in first. What a disappointment to see a lowely Maruti roll in!

Anyways army being army it was accommodation on first come first serve basis. So we, me and my navi Rohit, were given hut#1 and later on had august company of Shinozuka on the next bunk bed with Flory and some other Belgian chap on the other side.

Another day was wasted at Landsdowne before we were convoyed to Dehradun at night and ran up the last stage of next leg up to Mussorie. My rally ended next day after the very first competitive since my navi was running a malarial fever and was fainting away in the car.

[Cyrus43]

that is a very food account of your experience sudev..
do you have some pictures?

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Thank you Sudev for filling in for the 1988 event.

I am now giving the report on the 1989 event. This time I was in the organising team. I was one of the scrutineers. This was one of my most memorable events because I got a chance to do everything I wanted to do (without participation of course). I got an opportunity to take my rally prepared Premier Padmini from Mumbai to Delhi via Rajasthan and from there onwards to Simla. When returning back, wifey and kiddo (now Cyrus43 on this forum, he was only one and a half years old at that time) flew down to Delhi (those days there was only IC181) and we drove back to Mumbai via Madhya Pradesh (and saw the Taj Mahal for good measure). And the best part of it was that HRA (Himalayan Rally Association) paid for the fuel !

How did it all began ? I was in the Liberty Cinema building (the HRA office in Mumbai) and for some reason, there was no ticket for two of us (one lady whose name I forget now) on the Rajdhani Express which all of us were supposed to take to Delhi. This was on the 30th of October 1989. After some failed attempts by them to procure tickets, I suggested that I would not mind taking my car if it was OK by them. They were so pleased with my offer that they agreed immediately, obviously fuel was to their account. There was a small catch though. I was to carry all the road books and time cards in my car. My dicky was full of paperwork. No sweat there.

So ----- on the first of November 1989, we started at 4 AM from Mumbai. The car was my tried and trusted 1977 model full rally specification prepared Premier Padmini MMY43 (therefore it's Cyrus43 on the forum). On the first day itself, I crossed Jaipur (there were no expressways then). The next day we were in the foyer of Delhi's Centaur Hotel by 9 AM. The Himalayan Rally headquarters was in the Centaur Hotel. Mr.Nazir Hoosein was having breakfast when I said "Hello Nazir". He said - "you have reached already ? I thought you would reach tomorrow". That made my day.

The next 2 days were scrutiny, which was held in the foyer of the hotel. The cars were to be pushed into the foyer and pushed out (no engine starting, the noise would bring the whole place down). So we got into scrutineering the cars and sealing the aggregates with wire as required by the rules. I remember that a Lancia Delta Integrale had participated in this event.

The rally started from Delhi. I took MMY43 all along the route, conducting surprise scrutiny checks at various points. The highest I went was into Simla and Chail. I have photographs of MMY43 taken in Chail but I don't know how to post them. I drove back to Delhi with the rally.

After the rally was finished, we came back via Agra, Shivpuri, Guna, Beawra, Indore, Mhow, Shirpur, Dhulia and Nasik to Mumbai. We stayed in Agra, Indore and Devlali. I remember as a father I used to go into hotel kitchens, ask for some milk and heat it exactly for 25 seconds for the one and a half year old "baby". How do you like to read this Cyrus ?

Just for records, from Mumbai to Mumbai, MMY43 ran like a dream. I used to cruise at 100 / 110 kmph and would do short bursts beyond 120 kmph also. It did not consume any engine oil or coolant at all. An exemplary performance indeed.

Bye for now. Next time, I will give my report on the 1990 event (the last Himalayan Rally).

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[Cyrus43]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Thank you Sudev for filling in for the 1988 event.

I am now giving the report on the 1989 event. This time I was in the organising team. I was one of the scrutineers. This was one of my most memorable events because I got a chance to do everything I wanted to do (without participation of course). I got an opportunity to take my rally prepared Premier Padmini from Mumbai to Delhi via Rajasthan and from there onwards to Simla. When returning back, wifey and kiddo (now Cyrus43 on this forum, he was only one and a half years old at that time) flew down to Delhi (those days there was only IC181) and we drove back to Mumbai via Madhya Pradesh (and saw the Taj Mahal for good measure). And the best part of it was that HRA (Himalayan Rally Association) paid for the fuel !

How did it all began ? I was in the Liberty Cinema building (the HRA office in Mumbai) and for some reason, there was no ticket for two of us (one lady whose name I forget now) on the Rajdhani Express which all of us were supposed to take to Delhi. This was on the 30th of October 1989. After some failed attempts by them to procure tickets, I suggested that I would not mind taking my car if it was OK by them. They were so pleased with my offer that they agreed immediately, obviously fuel was to their account. There was a small catch though. I was to carry all the road books and time cards in my car. My dicky was full of paperwork. No sweat there.

So ----- on the first of November 1989, we started at 4 AM from Mumbai. The car was my tried and trusted 1977 model full rally specification prepared Premier Padmini MMY43 (therefore it's Cyrus43 on the forum). On the first day itself, I crossed Jaipur (there were no expressways then). The next day we were in the foyer of Delhi's Centaur Hotel by 9 AM. The Himalayan Rally headquarters was in the Centaur Hotel. Mr.Nazir Hoosein was having breakfast when I said "Hello Nazir". He said - "you have reached already ? I thought you would reach tomorrow". That made my day.

The next 2 days were scrutiny, which was held in the foyer of the hotel. The cars were to be pushed into the foyer and pushed out (no engine starting, the noise would bring the whole place down). So we got into scrutineering the cars and sealing the aggregates with wire as required by the rules. I remember that a Lancia Delta Integrale had participated in this event.

The rally started from Delhi. I took MMY43 all along the route, conducting surprise scrutiny checks at various points. The highest I went was into Simla and Chail. I have photographs of MMY43 taken in Chail but I don't know how to post them. I drove back to Delhi with the rally.

After the rally was finished, we came back via Agra, Shivpuri, Guna, Beawra, Indore, Mhow, Shirpur, Dhulia and Nasik to Mumbai. We stayed in Agra, Indore and Devlali. I remember as a father I used to go into hotel kitchens, ask for some milk and heat it exactly for 25 seconds for the one and a half year old "baby". How do you like to read this Cyrus ?

Just for records, from Mumbai to Mumbai, MMY43 ran like a dream. I used to cruise at 100 / 110 kmph and would do short bursts beyond 120 kmph also. It did not consume any engine oil or coolant at all. An exemplary performance indeed.

Bye for now. Next time, I will give my report on the 1990 event (the last Himalayan Rally).

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

brings big smiles to my face..i loved that car and i did not like it at all when dad sold it..and i know that this may sound funny but i still faintly recollect seeing the taj mahal sometimes...though the memory is very weak..

[sudev]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

I am now giving the report on the 1989 event. This time I was in the organising team. I was one of the scrutineers...[SNIP]...Mr.Nazir Hoosein was having breakfast when I said "Hello Nazir". He said - "you have reached already ? I thought you would reach tomorrow". That made my day.

The next 2 days were scrutiny, which was held in the foyer of the hotel. The cars were to be pushed into the foyer and pushed out (no engine starting, the noise would bring the whole place down). So we got into scrutineering the cars and sealing the aggregates with wire as required by the rules. I remember that a Lancia Delta Integrale had participated in this event.

Didn't we all salivate at the sight of these mean machines? The sound they made was a dream.

[Ina]

Much Greetings from Germany.
We are glad to read so much very nice Things about the Rally Himalayan.
We are the Owners of the Toyota Celica , which 1980 finished 2.nd Place over all. Drivers ´80 were Mariane Höpfner /Oda Dencker-Andersen.
The Celica is now in completly Restoration. But we have a Problem... we need the Rally Rally Himalaya Decal from the Organiser for the bonnet and the roof.
Also we are very glad about more Infos , Pictures , Decal, or anything else.

King Regards
Ina Beck / Arno Enners
Germany

[Ina]

[Ina]

Originally Posted by rallystar

I think what 1100D means are the Toyota Celicas from Germany driven by the Uhls , who won the rally out right.
cheers

Hi, the Uhls are 15km from us.
They won the Rally Himalaya in 1990 with a Celica GT 4 .
King regards

[1100D]

Originally Posted by rallystar

I think what 1100D means are the Toyota Celicas from Germany driven by the Uhls , who won the rally out right.
cheers

Yes, Stefan Uhl if I am not mistaken. These Celica's were AWD I guess in contrast to the 1980 RWD.

[khanak]

Originally Posted by Ina

We are the Owners of the Toyota Celica , which 1980 finished 2.nd Place over all.

WOW. Would love to see some pictures of the car.