2017 Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm kicks off today in Delhi

The 15^th edition of the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm will be flagged off from New Delhi today, which will see competitors traversing through the Thar Desert over 2000km and six days.

The competitors will travel to Hanumangarh from New Delhi for the first transport stage, the latter being the starting point for the rally. Over the next few days, competitors will head to Bikaner and Jaisalmer, before crossing the finish in Jodhpur on February 4th.

As always, the competitors will be classified into four categories – Xtreme, NDure, Moto and Xplore, with the Xplore category being offered the option to participate either on all six days or opt for a shorter duration (first three or last three days).

The night leg, which debuted in 2015 will return for a third year running – with competitors battling the darkness of the night over 150km in and around Jaisalmer.

Driving in Team Maruti colours, Suresh Rana will look to defend his title from veterans like Sandeep Sharma and Aabhishek Mishra, while in the moto category, all eyes will definitely be on C S Santosh, who recently finished his second Dakar Rally and will compete against over 40 riders to defend his title.

Commenting on the 15th edition of Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm, Mr. Vinay Pant, AVP Marketing, Maruti Suzuki India said, “At Maruti, we are passionate about motorsports and consistently aim to provide the fans with an opportunity to relive the fun and excitement through pioneering motorsport rallies. The journey of Desert Storm has been remarkable since its inception in 2003. The terrain is extremely thrilling and will challenge the combination of man and machine.”