Manali’s Suresh Rana back in Raid action

Manali man Suresh Rana, who has over nine wins at the Maruti Suzuki Raid De Himalaya, will vie for his tenth title at this year’s event scheduled to run between October 3 and 11. Rana is among the most successful rallyists in 16 years of the Raid, one of the ten top toughest motorsport rallies worldwide. His nine victories have come in the Raid Xtreme (4X4) category.

“There are 41 teams in Rally Xtreme. All are here to win. The high expectations are daunting and a challenge,” Rana said. He will drive a Grand Vitara for Team Maruti. His navigator this year is Parminder Thakur of Shimla. The duo won at the Maruti Suzuki Raid De Himalaya 2012.

Manohar Bhat, vice-president (marketing), Maruti Suzuki, said, “Every year, the Raid attracts new talent from the country and abroad. We see a surge in demand among motorsport lovers, who seek the bragging rights of successfully finishing this tough, demanding rally”.

The rallyists expect to give Rana a fight for the Raid crown are Sandeep Sharma of Delhi (Team Maruti), Harpreet Bawa of Chandigarh (Team Thunderbolt), Lt Col Shakti Bajaj of Team Army, Amanpreet Ahluwalia of Delhi (Team Thunderbolt), Sanjay Agarwal of Bangalore (Team Maruti), Amartej Buwal of Delhi (Team Thunderbolt) and Raj Singh Rathore of Jaipur.