It came and it went; this is the impression I carry of 15th Maruti Suzuki Raid - de - Himalaya. Be it change of my navigator at 11th hour, or doing acclimatization run/recce for my new navigator, or preparing the vehicle, or arranging the funds, or stabilizing my business for days of absence, or getting scrutiny done, or taking a start, or rallying for 5 days, or bowing out on 5th day, or flying back from Leh - it just came and it went.
The experience graph saw a new dimension this rally which cant be penned. However, I would like to highlight the high point of this entire furlough; my navigator - Malvinder Singh Punia aka Singh Stoner. Yes, the guy holds good for every alphabet of his alias. He had never done any rally before, and what a job he did in his first and probably the last rally! Everything was bang on and we were so functioning as one cohesive unit - just the way its supposed to be.
The air in cockpit was never tense in the stage and out of the stage was but natural relaxed. At night halts, the room was filled with cheeky laughter taking digs at fellow competitors - all attributed to guy's relaxed nature and easy take on life. Three years since we met on the road on a random ride, Stoner has increased respect in my eye as I have known him as a person. No wonder, I listened to him when we were negotiating through the stages and it did well for both of us. We were doing decent rank and gypsy was in decent shape, not having buggered it un-necessarily. Came leg 5/day 5 the stage was more of a meandering track as in desert, Stoner was busy re-calibrating his navigation skills and I was left to drive on my own. It didn't take long as I did it again. 9 kms into the stage, and BHAAAM we were out! There was nothing left to do, for us the rally was over.
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| Somewhere In Action Picture Credits: UNKNOWN |
The air in cockpit was never tense in the stage and out of the stage was but natural relaxed. At night halts, the room was filled with cheeky laughter taking digs at fellow competitors - all attributed to guy's relaxed nature and easy take on life. Three years since we met on the road on a random ride, Stoner has increased respect in my eye as I have known him as a person. No wonder, I listened to him when we were negotiating through the stages and it did well for both of us. We were doing decent rank and gypsy was in decent shape, not having buggered it un-necessarily. Came leg 5/day 5 the stage was more of a meandering track as in desert, Stoner was busy re-calibrating his navigation skills and I was left to drive on my own. It didn't take long as I did it again. 9 kms into the stage, and BHAAAM we were out! There was nothing left to do, for us the rally was over.
Hitched a couple of rides to reach Leh, then book a flight to reach Delhi the next day and bus back to Chandigarh - it left me ample time for contemplation.
I guess for me it didn't work out - my car rally days are over!
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