[NOS Power]

Only those who have done the raid know why their cars broke down on a section having 30 kph avg. running speed. For instance the Bolero (of Somdeb Chanda/ Nirav Mehta) which came 2nd in the Adventure class has a bent chassis.

To give u some details, u cannot crawl in the raid, so u cannot expect to drive slow on the worst roads and speed up on fairly better roads. U have to maintain the avg.

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by NOS Power

Only those who have done the raid know why their cars broke down on a section having 30 kph avg. running speed. For instance the Bolero (of Somdeb Chanda/ Nirav Mehta) which came 2nd in the Adventure class has a bent chassis.

Was the bent chassis a result of the raid or pre-existent?

[vampire]

Originally Posted by nitrous

@vampire: Please be precise. If its the raid or Desert strorm you're talking about, its called 'endurance rally'.

yes, to be precise it is the adventure section in raid and the explore section in Desert. Assumed it was kind of obvious.


@GTO - Thanks for the links
Milecruncher told me that somebody in calcutta does the undercarriage cover up. Didn't get the name yet. AB is it RPM
Rally De Kolkata

[sudev]

In the Raid Day 1 Jalori pass: Speed average 30kmph - And you have to drive 6 plus kilometre in first gear, due to steep slope the engine stalls in second, with rocks and water channels strewn all over.

In Desert Storm when you have to do off road, where it is easier to go through sandy stretches with speed, it is always toss up between ignoring averages or getting struck in sand and loosing hell of lot of time. Of course unlike Raid there is added problem of loosing track due to bad navigation and believe you me there are more than enough wandering tracks intersecting the designated track.

And the worst is having to keep given average, of 30~50kmph, on an arrow straight highway where even trucks are doing 100plus!!!

This is TSD rallying. But we are off topic here to OP's question.

@OP: Which rally you want to participate in? That will determine the car and the preparations needed.

For instance even in TSD - Raid needs engine guard. Desert Storm does not. In fact for the latter engine guard is a disadvantage in many situations. Similarly the other preparations.

[vampire]

Sudev
here are the details!

1. want to participate in the Desert Storm '10 - xplore
2. car - 2001 Dec Santro
3. Odometer reads 50 k Kms
4. Competition liscense. application in the process

I know many would advice against going with a santro but I am not so keen on taking any other car(not that i have one) cause this is something I can afford to manhandle and for the first time I am just going for the experience and the sole aim would be to finish if circumstances do permit.
I know this time the raid was very difficult and many didnt complete but I've seen hatchbacks in the raid(youtube).

OK so shoot me guys.

[NOS Power]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Was the bent chassis a result of the raid or pre-existent?

common sense says no one will go to a rally like the raid with an already bent chassis.


@vampire, firstly are u based in kolkata? If yes then i can help u with getting your car prepared. As i myself am in the TSD rallying circuit in Eastern India.

Almost all esteems got hit badly in the raid, maybe it was not prepared for the worst. So it would be a bit of a gamble going with a santro. But again its your call.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by vampire

GTO - Thanks for the links Milecruncher told me that somebody in calcutta does the undercarriage cover up. Didn't get the name yet. AB is it RPM

That would have to be Amittrajit Ghosh (company name R.P.M.). Look up his contact details from here. He has a strong reputation + following.

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by NOS Power

common sense says no one will go to a rally like the raid with an already bent chassis.

I agree common sense dictates that no one would take a vehicle with a bent chassis on the Raid, but at the same time, logic also says that a chasis can only be bent in case of a severe impact. Chassis ladder is made of extremely hard steel , a few thrashings in a general case will not bend it. But sometimes due to U bolts becoming loose and misaligned, the body of a vehicle might look crooked. Also in case a chassis is bent, the whole vehicle structure, especially the body will become highly unstable.

[vampire]

So I guess
1. undercarriage guard is not required in Desert Storm
2. I think its the same with roll cage in explore mode
3. Also the FMSCI form for rally license (kind attn : anirudhda) which grade is the required one? A, B or C

[sudev]

Sump Guard - Not that it is not needed but does come in way on sandy tracks.

License: Unless you are looking for seeding - available to drivers from other rallies - you need to apply under C

[laluks]

Originally Posted by sudev

Now if you are talking rallying as in championship event the first thing even before roll cage is car's homologation. That restricts the choice of vehicles you can take. Santro is not homologated and so with Swift.

Some events, including two mentioned, allow all vehicles as prototypes and that is why all cars can be entered.

Sudev ji, Swift ads recently showed a swift as if it had participated in the Raid Extreme. If it is a Swift - how is it possible to mod up for RDH?

Originally Posted by sudev

In Desert Storm when you have to do off road, where it is easier to go through sandy stretches with speed, it is always toss up between ignoring averages or getting struck in sand and loosing hell of lot of time. Of course unlike Raid there is added problem of loosing track due to bad navigation and believe you me there are more than enough wandering tracks intersecting the designated track.

Again Sudev ji, am confused. In Desert storm, the sand can be problematic to 2WD vehicle?


Both questions are silly types. I am just trying to understand. Hope you experienced guys don't jump on me.

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by laluks

Again Sudev ji, am confused. In Desert storm, the sand can be problematic to 2WD vehicle?


Both questions are silly types. I am just trying to understand. Hope you experienced guys don't jump on me.

Desert Storm is run in 3 categories, Extreme,Enduro and Explore.

Extreme is equivalent for RDH Extreme and meant for professionals; Enduro requires 4x4 SUV and though not as difficult as xtreme, but is fairly tough; Enduro is for 4x2 cars and SUV and is generally follows NH & SH and some back roads. The challenge in Explore is to be on time and not get lost.

[sudev]

@laluks: ji??? Drop it.

Adverts are not to be taken as truth unless they are announcing success in an event. In Raid / Storm you can take non-homologated vehicles. Mods needed for Xtreme categories are as per FMSCI norms. Typically roll cage, seat harness, tow hooks, engine cut off switch......just down load regulations and you can read minimum mandatory points to be covered. Typically engine guard and chassis strengthening are optional and not mandatory. Raid specifies snow chains as mandatory.

Sand is problematic for all vehicles and especially if not driven properly. I have seen 2WD go through where 4Wd guy was floundering. There are two major issues. One is "sandy hump" between tyre tracks and Two is tyres digging in. Both lead to "seizing" the car in sand. Sand driving is about momentum and not power. Power helps tyres dig in.

Hope you get the idea.

@MileCruncher: In Storm while most of Xplore is on state road there are very tough stretches of off road too. Generally with each subsequent day the length of off road is increased. And yes the TSD pressure keeps on even on the off road areas.

[supercars]

I had gone in IRC Pune Round and I had the Worst experience that a Begineer had.

I did do a very good speed but the facilities are not worth taking the risk. Believe me.

I really do not advice going for the Rally in the Santro. I am not trying to say that you are not a good driver but it's just that I have seen that the Storm is not as easy as it looks.

Please carry shovels.

My Personal Experience is that if you are a Small Man with no access to insane funding from sponsors then do not even go and do the TSD Class.

All the guys in rallying are having Huge Support from Sponsors.

It is too costly, risky and no one notices ever.

[sudev]

@supercars: agreed that Xtreme rallying is costly however you need to persist if you hope to get noticed. That is why TSD platform to give you proximity to Xtreme rallying and help you build network. Other good ways of coming in is via service team route or vis the official volunteer route.