Adventure & Wildlife Magazine - Vol 1|Issue 5-6| Nov 16 - Jan 17 Vol 2 | Issue 1 | Mar - May 2017 | Page 31

ADVENTURE & WILDLIFE
From 30th January the Competitive Stages started
from Hanumangarh onto Bikaner and Jaisalmer and
finally ending at Jodhpur. The Competitive Stages ranged
from 45 kms to 200 kms each over sand tracks, many
sand dunes gravel, ruts, grit, stones etc there were 11
Competitive Stages in total.
The rally was running in four formats - Xtreme, Xplore,
Endure and Moto. Following gives a lowdown on each one
of them :
• Xtreme – Open for 4x4 rally prepared vehicles,
this remains the classic format of Desert Storm and
challenges the particpant to the maximum as one has to
cover the entire rally in fastest time.
• Moto-the category is meant for bikes and tracks
are same as that of Xtreme format and runs on
fastest time concept. Moto in Desert Storm gets extremely
challenging with sand dunes playing it tough on
competitors and navigation being a key component.
• Xplore (2 wheel drive) & Endure (4 wheel drive) –
the two formats run on a TSD (Time-Speed- Distance)
is a slow format rally is not a Race. A Road book is
provided to Driver and Navigator, which has all the
instructions on distances and directions, while a Speed
Chart is provided to ascertain ideal speed and time they
should move on. Now, the Navigator in a TSD has an
important role to play, as he/ she calculates the ideal time
to reach at every point as per designated speed, with which
they need to move.
Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm
Vol 2|Issue 1|Mar - May 2017
31