[sgchaudhuri]

Introduction

Hi! I'm Souvik, your average BHP-ian! Like most of you, I've dreamt of myself behind the wheels of a Rally Car pulling off heroic stunts on dirt tracks!

However,as juvenile as this may be, I've decided to live out one of my life's aspiration, that of becoming a Rally Driver and foray into the Indian Motorsports (TSD-Rallying).

"By the means of this thread, I intend to keep a detailed log of my "Crawl into Indian Motorsports" and "How I plan/execute the modification of my own Rally Car" for your reference."

*Please feel free to leave any comments/suggestions, that you might have that may benefit me and others reading this thread!

Background:


I had always taken a keen interest in Rallying, but till 2010, I never really got a break into the world of Motorsports!

I had just completed my graduation from Bangalore and moved back to my hometown of Calcutta. The first order of business, was to settle-in as quick as possible and re-connect with the "BHP-ians" in Calcutta!

I met Joseph (NOS_Power), a veteran Navigator, who took me along with him to the Calcutta Motors Workshop (aka Kolkata's very own Rallying Mecca). There I met Supid Ghosh, the owner of Calcutta motors, who's more famously know as "Joydev Da"! He's an a Rally driver himself and an expert in Rally modifications, and though there is a dirth of "fancy equipment" in his garage, he make it up with his ingenuity and innovation!

Joydev Da's Garage(Calcutta Motors) or more colloquially called "The Garage" is the melting pot of all things "rally"! "The garage" serves as "workshop" as well as an "adda" (Bengali word for "Chilling Zone") in equal proportions! If you want to get into Rallying in Calcutta, THIS IS IT!

Of course, this is not the most friendliest of places as a newcomer! And everyone is happy to give you some "treatment" at the drop of a hat!

CAUTION: THE DEFINITION OF 'TREATMENT' YOU MUST FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF! EXPERIENCED RALLY-IST WOULD KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!

To clear you apprehension slightly, it becomes better as you gets better as you get to know everyone in a personal level!

The 1st step
When I moved back to Calcutta, all I had was my 1.3 OHC, it had been there in my family since 2002. Having no choice of cars, I got myself into "one-day motorsport and In-city TSD events" with my OHC!

Some may call it beginer's luck but in BOSCH-ILSS Rally 2011 (my 2nd rally); My navigator Sudip Halder and myself, took the podium! This came as a major boost and prompted me to take MotorSports more seriously!

From then on, the search for what would become my Rally Car, began...!

[sgchaudhuri]

With my Navigator: Sudip Halder(Right)

[Off Roadie]

Congratulations Souvik,
Wishing you the very best for many more to come and do keep sharing the nitty gritties of your involvement and progress, there are many who would like to know more about how to go about participating in Motor sport.

[sudev]

Welcome from one fan of TSD to another. Be on time. Always. ;-)

[cityvic]

Congrats on your win.

Wish you many more achievements in motor sports.

Hopefully you will see a Black OHC 1.5 in some rally too one day.

[Passiontodrive]

Welcome to the world of rallying.. Another rising star.
Congrats on your podium finish.

Hope to see you in Raid De Himalaya 2011 and Desert Storm 2012 also.

[carfreak]

Wishing you all the very best dude!!hope you go all the way to the top of the inrc and who knows, the wrc events too!!

[LP640]

Hey Souvik!
Congrats on the win. Good to see, you living upto your dreams. All the best for the new way of life!

[MileCruncher]

Congrats on the win!

Please keep the stories rolling

[Saurabh M]

Nice start Souvik and an official welcome to the world of motor sports. Here's wishing you more wins in the rallies to come.

Hope your next ride is getting ready at Joydeb-da's.

[sgchaudhuri]

Choosing the right Car:

Choosing the perfect rally car for myself was a nightmare! Although it might seem like a trivial task, but it turned out to be a quite a mental exercise!

Juggling expert advice, available finances, my gut-feeling and "what-my-dad-had-to-say" took up most of my time.

The "Realistic" Contenders:
1) Maruti-Suzuki Esteem
2) Maruti-Suzuki Gypsy
3) Maruti-Suzuki Baleno


The Esteem (MPFI):
Cost: 1Lac +
Advantages:
1) Cheap (within my budget).
2) Parts are relatively cheap and easily available.
3) Lots of Esteem up for sale.
4) Popular and reliable Rally Cars.
5) Availing service for Esteems during Rallies is easy.
6) Light Weight.

Disadvantages:
1) As per standing FMSCI rules, Esteems can be used for rallies till 2014.
2) Not suitable for a few Rallies (i.e. Raid de Himalaya & Desert Storm, etc.)

The Gypsy (MPFI):
Cost: 2Lacs+
Advantages:
1) Sturdy yet Light-weight.
2) Minimum modifications required to enter into Rallies.
3) Suitable for ALL rallies that take place in India.
4) Very Low maintenance as compared to other Rally cars.

Disadvantages:
1) A gypsy in a good condition is hard to come by.
2) The parts are becoming difficult to source.
3) Initial cost would be higher than an Esteem.

The Baleno:
Cost: 2Lacs+
Advantages:
1) Powerful & Quick (1.6L Engine as compared to 1.3L in an Esteem).
2) Better handling than the Esteem.
3) Could double as a daily drive.
4) Reliable & Tested Rally Car.

Disadvantages:
1) Expensive as compared to the Esteem.
2) Again, hard to come by one in good condition.
3) Hard to get service during Rallies.[/left]
4) Honestly, I don't like the looks of it!

So, guess which one I went for?

[suneet_ag]

Has to be the Gypsy!

[Twinn]

Originally Posted by sgchaudhuri

Choosing the right Car:

The Esteem (MPFI):
Cost: 1Lac +
Disadvantages:
1) As per standing FMSCI rules, Esteems can be used for rallies till 2014.
2) Not suitable for a few Rallies (i.e. Raid de Himalaya & Desert Storm, etc.)

The Gypsy (MPFI):
Cost: 2Lacs+
Disadvantages:
1) A gypsy in a good condition is hard to come by.
2) The parts are becoming difficult to source.
3) Initial cost would be higher than an Esteem.

The Baleno:
Cost: 2Lacs+
Disadvantages:
1) Expensive as compared to the Esteem.
2) Again, hard to come by one in good condition.
3) Hard to get service during Rallies.[/left]
4) Honestly, I don't like the looks of it!

Hi Mate - Personally If I had a choice, for a starter option I would look at a esteem or a Gypsy (Already have one, getting prepared also), but coming to the disadvantages -
Esteem: 2014 is a long way to go, but it is used in the the raids. even this DS2011, we saw some amazing action on few esteems, while some broke down also
Gypsy: Mate, its next to impossible to source parts unless your up in north (which I presume you are)
Baleno: I love that machine, no disadvantages at all. yeah its quite expensive - but there are worth more rallies than the esteem, faster than the gypsies!! Nowadays we have 1.6lts engines in both the esteems and gypsies been plonked specially for the raids and INRC.

You went for a GYPSY!!!

[swiftnfurious]

What a beautiful thread. I wish all current racers come together here are give us all the info for the wannabe racers. A podium finish in the second rally itself is a good award for the efforts. Keep it up. Looking forward for the rest of the details as well.

[cityvic]

Originally Posted by sgchaudhuri

So, guess which one I went for?

Now let me think.

2005 Esteem .